That Little Game Called Life
by Dixie Darlin
Summary: (Post-movie sequel to "Going Turbo") The closer they got, the more sure he was that he was going to die...but by God if that's what it took to erase the red from his ledger and set the world right again, then what choice did he really have to but to go forward? (second in trilogy)
1. Reboot

_Author's Note: This doubles as a sequel to my other fic "**Going Turbo**" which is my version of a Turbo origin story. You don't HAVE to read it first, but it will help understand the character better in this story plus a few OC's that premiered there._

* * *

**That Little Game Called Life  
**

**Chapter One**

_The last thing he could remember was being burned alive in a geyser of molten cola-lava. Every bit of his code had screamed in pure agony as his life passed before his eyes. The memories alone were as painful as the scorching burns he was subjected to. All his years of hard work, years of trying to build a new life for himself, a new life that would help him forget about the one he lost. It was all gone, his second chance was gone._

Turbo opened his eyes drowsily. He was staring up at the ceiling of some room that he did not recognize. A faint eerie glow from the small light fixture above him flickered every so often. Upon further inspection, he realized he was laying on something soft. A bed? How did a bed end up in the middle of a volcano? In fact, where did this _room_ materialize from?

He blinked and the fog in his mind gradually drifted away. He turned his head to look sideways but his neck was so stiff that it pained him to do so. How long had he been lying there? With great effort and difficulty, he straightened himself in the bed, rubbing the back of his neck as he did so. He glanced around at his sterile environment. A cold pale blue room greeted him with nothing but the bed he was on, a small side table, an empty chair, a mirror on the far wall and then finally the door. It was one of those big metal doors that looked like Bowser himself would have trouble opening.

Was he in some form of afterlife? Did arcade game characters even go anywhere when they died? Turbo didn't think so. He also didn't think he was dreaming because he personally never had a dream that caused him neck pain or stiff muscles.

He slowly got off the bed, grimacing as he did so. His legs buckled underneath him from not having used them in a while and it took some time for him to get his balance back. Straightening himself up, he started in the direction of the door. He took a second to glance in the mirror he had noticed earlier. He was dressed in his old racing uniform, the white one with red trim and a white helmet with a big red "T" on the front of it. He hadn't seen his original form in so long that he was initially startled. He had gotten accustomed to the King Candy form that he had created for himself when he hacked into _Sugar Rush_.

Ugh, he didn't even want to _think_ about that place. Little brats and their dessert-themed happy-cheery world! He hated kids and he remembered the disgust he felt at the idea of having to share his new life with a whole lot of them. That was why, as King Candy, he refused to interact with them outside of the races when he had no choice.

**I see you are awake.**

The sudden booming voice from an invisible source made the racer let out a small shriek and slip on the tile floor, landing on his back. He scrambled wildly to his feet, trying to find where the voice had come from. No one was in the room with him. He cursed himself for letting something manage to scare him. In a place like this, he needed to keep his guard up.

**I am sorry to have frightened you. Allow me to introduce myself. I am General Hologram from Hero's Duty. I believe you are the one they call Turbo. Is this correct?**

"Turbo". No one had called him by that name in years. It felt odd and strangely disorienting, like he had stepped into a time portal to the past.

"Yeah, what's it to you?" the racer asked grouchily, still looking around the room trying to find a speaker of some sort. He didn't like the idea that someone could see him and not the other way around. "Where am I? How come I'm not dead?"

**You are alive because I allowed you to be. The volcano only destroyed the Cy-Bug part of you. You had a very strong virus within your code before the Cy-Bug fed on you. That virus protected your original code from getting obliterated. I was able to piece that part of you back together and bring you here to _Hero's Duty_ to recuperate. You have been resting for several weeks now. **

Turbo looked down at his grayish hands and flexed the fingers slowly. So the virus that had destroyed his first life had saved him from dying in his second life. It was an intriguing twist. He had never considered the virus a blessing in disguise before.

**The next time you die will be the last. You are as vulnerable as you were when you were first created. ****I advise you to remember that.**

A chill ran down Turbo's spine. Was this General Hologram _warning_ him? The monotonous voice devoid of any emotion unnerved him and that feeling only served to piss him off. It was like talking to a computer. He remembered the holographic Surge Protector in Game Central Station. Even _that_ guy had more personality than this Voice.

"Why did you save me?" he had to ask. He wished he knew what direction to look in when he spoke. He felt like an idiot turning in circles trying to pinpoint the Voice's origin. "Most people would want me to have stayed dead."

**To study you.**

The blunt answer stunned him. Study him? Like some kind of experiment? Turbo darted his eyes around the room. It dawned on him that this must be some sort of observation room. But...observed for what? Hadn't he just been lying there sleeping this whole time?

**I shall explain further. Come, walk with me.**

The large metal door opened with a "swooshing" sound. A long metallic corridor stretched out beyond it. Turbo understood that he was meant to walk down it. He wasn't sure if he liked that idea too much but he didn't dare argue with something he couldn't even see.

"Don't you have to have_ legs_ to _walk_?" he quipped as he moved forward.

**Affirmative.**

Apparently the Invisible General didn't understand sarcasm. It only furthered Turbo's suspicions that he was talking to a form of advanced artificial intelligence rather than an actual game character, like _he_ was...and the racer didn't trust him. Correction, _it_.

As he walked out the door, he heard it "swoosh" behind him which caused him to turn around. He noticed a dusty sign on the door that said "Dr. Brad Scott-Private Quarters". So it wasn't an observation room like he had assumed. Curiosity got the best of him.

"Who's Brad?" he asked.

The hallway was colder than the room had been and he found himself shivering. He passed by a door that was to his left but the Voice didn't tell him to open it so he just kept on going forward.

**He is a deceased member of our team. He was never part of the actual game. You are living in a physical recreation of his chambers. No one is allowed back here so no one knows you are here. If you wish to stay alive, I will suggest you avoid attempting an escape. My soldiers do not take kindly to strangers who breech the perimeter. **

No one was allowed back here, huh? The racer briefly wondered what the backstory was on good ol' Brad Scott but he chose to think on that another day, if it was even important.

"Hey, buddy, you never said how exactly were you able to save me." The hallway seemed to get longer and longer, to his dismay. "I mean, it's not like you were present during my demise."

**I was hoping you would ask. You see, the programmers gave me the ability to feel when a Cy-Bug ingests something. Whatever they eat, they become. When you were eaten, I was able to see your code in my own artificial mind. Your memories became available to me at that time and I was able to see how you took control of the game _Sugar Rush_. Rather impressive even by military standards.**

"So impressive that I couldn't stop a glitch and another game-jumper from ruining it all," Turbo mused aloud.

If Wreck-It Ralph had never come along, he would still be riding high in all his kingly glory. That little glitch was probably astonished to find that she was the princess. Ah, but that life was over now. This was his _third_ chance. How many could say they were lucky enough to get not one more chance at life, but _two_?

**Precisely my thought as well. Now we are getting to exactly why I brought you here. I need you to help me keep what happened to _Sugar Rush_ from happening to _Hero's Duty_. I need to make sure that no one tries to invade and take Hero's Duty for their own. I must protect myself and my soldiers. You are the only one I know of that can make this happen.  
**

Turbo had reached the end of the hallway at this point. A camoflauged door stood in his way and it opened with a "swoosh" like the other had done when he approached it. He had to admit he was a bit surprised at what he saw next. It was a locking mechanism for a Code Room, similar to the others he had seen and used in his time.

"You want me to reprogram the game?"

**Affirmative. I do not have a physical body, Turbo. I am but a mere hologram. I can only show myself in limited areas. I have no way of entering the room myself or even tampering with the codes. That requires a physical form. You are the only one who can do this for me.**

The racer rubbed his chin as he pondered this. The general was a lot smarter than he had initially thought. He..._it_...had been able to formulate a seemingly iron-clad plan. Still, something about this Hologram guy came across as shady to him.

"Let me get this straight. You access my memories and learn all my dirty secrets." He began to count off points with his fingers. "You regenerate me somehow and bring me here under top secret observation. You tell me what you plan to do with your own game. You _do_ realize that I can easily take control of this place myself, correct?"

**I believe once you allow me to explain, you will do as I ask. I have a plan to create the ideal world. The way things are now, others are able to cross portals into others' games and do as they want. You know this more than anyone. I cannot allow someone to enter here and cause us to become "unplugged" as they say. It is a matter of survival. **

**My belief is that if others are confined to their own worlds, they will obviously be unable to cause destruction for another world. I cannot do this myself, however. As I explained, I have no physical body. I need my troops to help me, but they have become corrupted with the outside lands and its inhabitants. One of my finest soldiers has even married an outsider. This cannot be tolerated. That is why I need their memories erased. I do not think I need to spell out the rest. **

Turbo understood exactly what Hologram was saying: Help carry out this plan of tyrranical rule over the entire arcade. It was a impressive plan, he admitted to himself. For a moment he felt honored to be the one allowed to be part of it. But still...

"I'll get straight to the point," he began, folding his hands behind his back. It was a habit he had picked up sometime during his kingly days. "What's in it for _me_?"

**I will allow you to be my direct subordinate. Second in command, if you will. You may pick any game you like to control as your very own domain, to do with as you wish. You may also make your own rules to carry out, as long as I approve them of course. **

_I _had_ control of a game once and I did it solo_, the racer thought a little bitterly._ Just who do you think you're talking to?_

"What's to stop me from sneaking in here during your gameplay hours? I know better than to think that you trust me completely."

**You would be correct. I do not trust you. That is why every time I allow you into my Code Room, I will change the combination. You will not be able to go in without my allowing you to do so. **

The General seemed to have all the bases covered. Turbo began to wonder if he should be impressed with this level of planning or intimidated. If the Voice had this much worked out, what else did he have up his proverbial sleeve?

"What if I refuse this gracious offer?"

**I will sound an alarm and have an officer kill you. **

There was the unnerving bluntness again.

**I cannot allow you to leave and spread word of my plan. It will be a tragic loss, however, as there is no one available with your level of hacking skills. You understand. I will also have them kill you if I feel that you are trying to change the codes to your own liking.**

Yeah, he understood all right. Join or die. If he wanted to live, he would have no choice to go along with this. As tempting as the offer was, Turbo was a little annoyed that someone was forcing his hand in the matter. He had strived for independence and it was quickly becoming apparent that he was going to be giving that up for a while.

"Okay, I was just wondering what you would say," he told the General in a half-hearted lie. "It would be my pleasure to help you out."

**I knew you would accept. **

_Did you? _Turbo asked in his mind. _You don't know _what_ I'm going to do. You may be able to think outside the box and cover the angles of a long-term situation, but you can't know what I'm going to do in the next five minutes. I could go in that Code Room and have this place set to blow in three-two-one._

Not that he would do something so drastic. He believed the General's threat of sounding an alarm to have him get killed. Turbo had worked too hard and too long at keeping himself alive to throw it all away for a silly risk like that. The first ten years of his life after _TurboTime'_s unplugging had been spent hiding out in that idiotic _Anteater_ game, living off the ants and worms that resided there and tampering with enough code to keep that stupid Anteater from spilling the beans about his presence. That was a miserable ten years and it would piss him off greatly to know it was all for naught.

A thought came to him as he reflected on those days.

"Hey, one more question. You said that you wanted everyone to stay within the realm of their own games, right? To keep them from jumping over into yours?"

**That is correct.**

"What about all those cats that don't have a home game anymore? The ones out living wherever they can find a spot to survive? What'll happen to _them_?"

**They will be arrested and thrown into the Brig. They will then await a trial and, upon seeing that they have no suitable purposes, will be executed by my team. They are only rogues after all. Any one of them could be the wild card that could potentially destroy me. **

The answer was a shocking one. Kill all the homeless ones? Turbo remembered back almost 25 years ago when he saw Q*bert and his friends sitting alone in the Game Central Station, relying on the kindness of others for survival. He had pitied them and had hated the idea that he could become the same way one day, believing death a better fate. Rosie had told him not to talk that way-

_NO, do NOT think about her. _

The idea that this General wanted to execute them as if they were meaningless rather angered him. After all, he himself had been a homeless character, depending on the surroundings of a game not his own for survival. Hell, he was _still _homeless now that he thought about it.

The racer clenched his fists at his sides, trying hard to bite his tongue. He then bid the General a good night and headed back to bed. He needed a little more rest before he got started on his new job.


	2. Four Months Later

**That Little Game Called Life  
**

**Chapter Two  
**

_**Four Months Later**_

Mr. Litwak waved off the last customer of the day and flipped his "open" sign on the door to "closed". Making his rounds, he retrieved the quarters from each game console that were meant to be put it away in a safe in his office to take to the bank the next morning.

Well, at least that's what he _normally_ did.

_Tonight_, he was going to take it home with him so he could go directly to the bank in the morning. This was because he wasn't coming back to the arcade tomorrow. He was taking his yearly three-day vacation he gave himself every year around Christmas. Not many people came in during the holidays so he just closed up for a few days to relax and spend time with family.

He finished cleaning up, put on his big coat and gloves, took a last look at the place and then dug out his keys. Three days, three _full_ days. _Surely_ nothing could go wrong in that amount of time.

"Behave yourselves, everyone," Mr. Litwak said to no one in particular as he exited the building and locked up shop.

* * *

"Okay, guys, arcade's closed!" Yuni from _Dance Dance Revolution_ announced. "And for three full days this time!"

A unanimous cheer went out across the arcade. Everyone looked forward to this time of year, even though they had no clue what Christmas (or any other holiday) was. They just knew that Litwak always left them alone for that long a time and they could have all the freedom in the world. Besides, it was a nice break from doing their day-to-day jobs.

Of course, when your daily job consisted of racing around at high speed at your pleasure, it could hardly be considered a _job_. At least Vanellope didn't consider it one. It had been five months since the game Sugar Rush had been reset, restoring her to her rightful princess role (or _president_ as she preferred) and thus changing her life for the better. Before, she had been treated like a disease...a glitch. Now, she had all the friends she could ask for and more.

Vanellope loved all the attention she was getting now, but she would remind herself of her outcast days from time to time. Sure, it was painful to think of all those lonely years living in the volcano and being bullied by the other racers. Years of being told that she was a mistake and that she wasn't allowed to do what she knew she was programmed to do...race. Vanellope liked to think that those experiences made her a better person. She knew better than to look down on those who were different and that everyone had feelings just like she did.

She was, however, still a kid and she would never give up the chance to crack a joke about her pals, in a fun way never in a mean-spirited way. She knew more than anyone that words hurt as much as (if not more) than actions so she tried to keep that in mind when she was in one of her more snarky moods.

Some days she wondered about King Candy...no, he was _Turbo_, his real name...and what had happened to him to make him want to be so hurtful to a little kid like herself that had never done any harm to anyone. Then she'd shake it off and tell herself that _nothing_ could ever excuse someone for doing something so hateful. He _had_ tried to kill her after all.

In short, Turbo was a big doodie-head.

The raven-haired child pulled up to her castle...she still had trouble believing that it was _hers_...and slammed the brakes on, skidding to a halt by the front doors and began to honk the horn incessantly. From inside the castle, Sour Bill heaved a sigh and opened the doors to allow Vanellope to race inside.

"Hi-ya, Sour Bill!" she greeted chipperly as she hopped out of her vehicle. "Did I get any visitors while I was gone, requesting my royal presence?" She liked to roll her r's when she said "royal".

"Um...no..." the green sourball creature answered in his always tired voice. "But you seem to have forgotten about your scheduled meeting with um..." He took a second to glance at his clipboard.

"Ahh, schedule schmedule," she dismissed with a wave of her arms. "I'm nine, I shouldn't even _have_ a schedule! I say we abolish them all at once."

Sour Bill's bored expression turned into one of panic. The only thing different about his normal look and his panicked look was that his eyes got a little bigger.

"But...we need order...how will-"

Vanellope interrupted with a tsk-tsk-tsk and a wave of her finger. "Nuh-uh-uh," she interrupted him with her trademark grin. "_Who's_ in charge here?"

"Um...you are, your presidency."

"That's right. And I say no schedules, got it? Great!"

She ran down the length of the room and jumped onto her throne, which she had redesigned to be a squishy marshmallow _shaped_ like a throne. Giggling, she jumped up and down excitedly on the cushion before settling into it comfortably. The silence began to sink in and she quickly grew bored.

"Hey, where the Pez is everyone anyway? It's too quiet around here."

"Well...if you hadn't abolished schedules, I _might_ be able to tell you."

"Ha ha ha," she enunciated dryly, bouncing off the throne. "Okay, if this is some boring lesson you're trying to teach me, I learned it. Now where is everyone?"

"I believe you were expected to join them at..." He checked his clipboard again. "Molasses Swamp."

Vanellope gasped. "Great gooey gumdrops, I forgot! We were supposed to play hide and seek out there!"

The youngster wasted no time jumping back into her car and speeding out the door, so fast that Sour Bill had to jump out of the way.

"Kids," he sighed, hiding a small smile, and went to close the doors to the castle again.

* * *

Wreck-It Ralph stepped carefully through the sticky landscape that was Molasses Swamp. There were tall chocolate trees growing up from the goop that seemed to reach up to the sky. He had a feeling that the _Sugar Rush_ racers had chosen this place for Hide-and-Seek to make hiding easy and finding difficult.

These last few months, Ralph had managed to make friends with the other racers due to his "big brother" relationship with Vanellope. When he wasn't hanging out with the now-friendly Nicelanders or with members of Bad-Anon, Ralph would come to _Sugar Rush_ and play games with the kids. So far, he was having zero luck finding any of the little scamps. They were small enough to fit just about anywhere that he wouldn't be able to see. Vanellope was the only one not present when the game started so he had assumed she'd lost track of time racing around in her car. He smiled at the thought of her living out her dream of racing after so many year of being a bullied outcast, much like himself.

Speaking of the devil cake, here came the president now.

"About time you got here, ya royal flush."

"Sorry, butt breath, I forgot!" She was panting from running around. Chocolate mud covered her shoes and some of her stockings. "It took three forevers to track you down, too!"

"Apparently you're a better seeker than I am. I can't find anyone!"

"So can we start over? Please? Pretty please, with cherries and whipped cream and nuts on top?" She gave him her best puppy-dog expression.

"How about I just count to fifty again and you hide now?" he suggested. The idea of starting over entirely was too much for him to handle right now.

Vanellope jumped about excitedly. "Yay! No peeking!"

* * *

For the last four months, Turbo had slaved over collecting every bit of memory from the Hero's Duty soldiers to put off to the side in a separate group from the other codes. It had taken longer than it had when he did the same to the Sugar Rush residents, even though there were many more characters there. This game was a lot newer than that one had been, thus more advanced, and he had encountered some trouble accessing certain things.

General Hologram spoke to him frequently, which was a welcome distraction from the maddening solitude. In his early years of homelessness, he had erased the Anteater's memories of him so he wouldn't go outside his portal to alert anyone of Turbo's presence. The Anteater couldn't talk but the racer would go out of his safety zone to talk to him just to have someone give him some attention. Then he would turn around and erase _those_ memories from the Anteater's mind. Sometimes he missed he missed the big lug, believe it or not.

The General couldn't bring him food or drink, so one of the first things Turbo had to do was form a code that made the Mess Hall's chef leave him some by the door in the hallway that led to the rest of the building. It was a tiring process because he had to erase the his memory of doing this simple act every single time in order to keep him from getting nosey.

About two weeks into his work, Turbo found to his astonishment that the _Hero's Duty_ soldiers were good friends with Fix-It Felix, Jr. the friendly hammer-wielding hero of his same-name game. The racer remembered him well, though they had never been close friends by any means. The little guy had shown up to a few of his parties back when _TurboTime_ was still up and running. He had tried on several occasions to get him to drink something stronger than a soda or a root beer to no avail. Some guys just don't have the party gene.

After some thought, Turbo really wasn't _that_ surprised that Felix had lots of friends; it was the fact that these giant gun-toting soldiers even gave him the time of day.

_Must be the hero thing. Birds of a feather._

He had another surprise later than same week when he discovered that Felix was _married_ to the game's lead character, Sgt. Tamora Jean Calhoun of all people. The visualization of tiny Felix being married to an Amazon lady with a giant gun made the racer laugh out loud for good while.

Then he got jealous.

Turbo once had it all back many years ago before he "went Turbo" as they say now. Popularity, respect, a love life...then within a mere week's time it was all gone. If he could go back in time, he might would've done things differently but he couldn't. He longed for the good ole days. His time at Sugar Rush had been a great one, being the king was turbo-tastic, but at the same time it just wasn't quite as good as the first life. He hadn't been a real king of course and his subjects had only treated him the way they had because he _made_ them do so. Thanks to that damn virus Teddy gave him, he'd had to steal some of the racers' faster stats to boost his up in order to stay "the best" like he was before. It was all pretend, a show, a farce. Looked nice on the outside but deep down...

And now here he was seeing an old colleague have everything _he_ always wanted: _still_ popular, _still_ getting business with his game (who knew a wrecking/fixing game would last 30 years?), _and_ happily married to the love of his life.

The racer never dreamed he'd be jealous of a guy like Felix but he was. It was almost a pleasure scooping all of the memories of him from everyone's minds and shoving them to the side. He felt a twinge of guilt making the Calhoun lady forget she was married but then he reminded himself of what the General had told him:

**One of my finest soldiers has even married an outsider. This cannot be tolerated.**

About two months after that incident, the racer finally discovered who Dr. Brad Scott was. He was apparently the former fiance of Felix's wife. Turns out ol' Brad had gotten killed by a Cy-Bug on their wedding day when Calhoun forgot to do a perimeter check.

The memory struck a nerve. Turbo had wished on numerous occasions that he could erase his memories of Rosie's death (_my fault, my own damn fault_) but he couldn't. He had struggled to forget about her in these past decades to keep the pain at bay, but every now and then something would come up to remind him of her again. He supposed she would never leave his mind.

If only she had hated him like he had told her to, she would never have followed him into _RoadBlasters_ that fateful day in 1987 and gotten herself killed in it when it was unplugged. He hadn't witnessed it for himself, never even knew she went in there, but that bastard Teddy told him that his twin brother had seen it with his own eyes. Then he snapped and killed both of them, stole the uniform off of one and escaped to the Station right before _TurboTime_ went down with the ship.

The day he learned about Brad Scott, he had called it quits for the day. Too many memories of his own tormented him throughout the day no matter what he did. He realized with some surprise that he felt pity for this Calhoun woman that he had never even met and without much hesitation, tossed the memory of his death out of her mind so she wouldn't have to live with it anymore. At the same time, he erased the event from the team's mind so they would not remind her accidentally.

But that was then, this was now. It had been four months since he started his work on erasing all the soldier's memories to, in a sense, reset them to default settings. They would still have their training and fighting skills, but their personal lives were history now. Turbo even had a box similar to the one he used in _Sugar Rush_ to lock them up in.

**You have finished?**

"Yep, all I have to do is throw this box around the memory block and you'll get that clean slate of minds you wanted."

**Excellent. The dawn of a new era is at hand.**

* * *

_Forgot to mention in the last chapter, that the game Anteater (1982) is the property of Tago Electronics. RoadBlasters (1987) belongs to Atari. Also, Wreck-It Ralph characters belong to Disney. The names Ted and Teddy for the "Turbo Twins" were made up by someone on Tumblr, I believe. Rosie belongs to me.  
_


	3. Rushing to Escape

**That Little Game Called Life**

**Chapter Three**

While Ralph was tracking down kids in a never-ending game of Hide-and-Seek and Turbo was moments away from locking away precious memories, Fix-It Felix was skipping along the halls of _Hero's Duty_'s HQ area carrying a pie in his hand. Married life was great for him and Calhoun, or Tamora as he called her...sometimes Tammy if she allowed it. Never in his wildest dreams could he have ever expected to land such a "dynamite gal" as his own but he did. Sure, it was difficult not being able to see each other during work hours but they _do_ say absence makes the heart grow fonder.

People thought it odd that a rough gun-toting seargant would fall for a short rosy-cheeked boy-next-door kinda guy like Felix. They just couldn't get past the surface. Actually the two were more alike than given credit for: they were heroes, cared about others over themselves, strived to bring a sense of justice to the world, and they balanced each other out. He helped her with her people-skills (she could be a little rough sometimes) and she helped him grow a backbone (he could be a pushover sometimes). She had a broken heart, and he fixed it. The list went on and on.

Most importantly though, they loved each other and that's all that really mattered in the end.

A few soldiers saluted Felix as he walked past. They had all grown fond of the young man and treated him like one of their own.

"If you're looking for Calhoun, she's doing a perimeter check," Markowski told him. "She should be done in a bit."

"Why, thank you," Felix replied warmly. "I'll just wait for her in the Mess Hall."

Felix kept walking, whistling as he went. Markowski and Kohut began to talk about some chicks they'd seen the other night at _Tapper's_ when-

_~ZzzZsKhTZZhsTzZfkHdiwSzZziHr FdsZzzZdSfiLldffZzzZ~  
_

"Whoa, what the-?" Kohut groaned, holding his head. He looked around in a confused manner. "Hey, what were we just doing?"

Markowski scratched his head. "I'm not sure. Were we doing _anything_?"

Kohut seemed puzzled then he snapped his fingers. "I know! We must've just got plugged in!" he exclaimed. "We haven't done _anything_ yet...outside of basic training that is."

"Yeah, that must be it!"

* * *

Calhoun grabbed her head as a strange surge of energy washed over her. She suddenly couldn't remember why she was in this particular hallway. Rubbing her temples, the sergeant tried to think.

_Brad! The wedding!_

She was supposed to be getting married, she remembered, but why wasn't she at the church? She felt something unusual on her left ring finger and she removed her glove. A gold band shined there...a _wedding_ band. The blonde soldier stared at it with confusion. Were she and Brad already married? Why couldn't she remember the wedding? And where was Brad?

_Something must have happened...something bad_, she thought, automatically fearing the worst.

Calhoun pulled her gun out and made her way to Brad's private quarters. She was baffled at the "No Entrance" sign on the door but she opened it regardless and headed into the hallway.

* * *

Turbo had just untied himself from the cord that was anchoring him to the hall banister and preventing him from floating off into Cyberspace. Just moments ago, he had locked up the memories of the soldiers and was mentally congratulating himself on a job well done.

"That's that," he said aloud.

"_What's what_?"

A woman...a very tall attractive one at that...had materialized out of thin air behind him, giving the racer quite the fright. It didn't help that she had a gun in his face. A _big_ gun.

"State your name, _pronto_!" she barked at him, her eyes narrowing intensely.

"I thought this place was blocked off?" he questioned, hoping to prompt General Hologram to speak up and tell this chick to stand down.

"I am Dr. Scott's fiancee...wife...so I can come and go here as I please! Now tell me who you are, why you're here, and what you've done to Dr. Scott!"

Turbo realized this must Tamora Calhoun, the lady that he had removed the memory of both being Felix's wife and being guilty of her fiancee's death. He hadn't expected that in doing this, he had inadvertently caused her to think that Brad was still alive.

"Wait, you think I did something to him? Lady, you're-"

Calhoun was about to butt him in the head with her gun, but he acted fast. He still had the end of the rope in his hand and he pulled it taut and ran forward past her, causing her to jerk forward and fall on her face. Turbo wasted no time. He ran out of the door that Calhoun had used to enter the area and into the outside part of the hallway that was part of the actual game. For a moment, he allowed himself to relish being out of that prison he was in but then he started putting some distance between him and Calhoun.

"Hey, General! If it's not a problem, can you please tell that chick not to kill me? She's a little...confused."

**I apologize, but I believe you attacked her first. It is your own fault if you die now. If I intervene, they will become suspicious. I cannot let them think that I have allowed someone to come in that does not belong here, can I?  
**

"WHAT?" Turbo clenched his teeth. _That bastard! That thing's going to let me die! Probably planned it the whole time! _

**Seeing as you are so useful however, let us make a game out of this. If you can manage to survive through the next few days, we shall see about keeping with our original arrangements. If you die...I don't think I need to elaborate. **

The racer was more than just a little sure that the General had no intentions of keeping him alive OR keeping his original agreement they had. There was no way he was ever trusting something he couldn't see ever again.

**Until we meet again.  
**

"Yeah, like we actually met the first time," Turbo muttered, turning a corner to run down a different corridor. "If I live through this, you can guaran-damn-tee I'll be in business for myself from now on."

* * *

_Tap-tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap-tap._

Felix sat alone in the Mess Hall, waiting patiently for Tamora to finish her rounds. He signed and continued drumming his fingers along the table edge. The pie he had brought was beginning to get cold. What was taking her so long?

* * *

Calhoun groaned and rubbed her jaw. The strange looking creature in Brad's private quarters had been sneaky tripping her that way. He would not be lucky a second time. She heard the deep voice of General Hologram, her superior officer, come onto the building-wide intercom.

**Attention, all personnel. There is an intruder on the grounds. Last seen in Ward C, East Wing. Suspect considered highly dangerous. Bring him in, dead or alive.**

Had the stranger really done something to harm Brad? Or worse, killed him? A deep scowl etched on her face, Calhoun ran out to hunt him down.

* * *

Felix heard the General's announcement and some alarms began to sound. Fearing the worst, he abandoned his place at the table and peeked outside the Mess Hall doors. Soldiers were running in formation down the hallway with their guns out.

"Oh my lands!" he gasped, closing the doors. He hoped nothing had happened to Tamora on her routine check, even though he knew better than anyone that she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself.

An odd noise interrupted his thoughts. The handyman looked up at the roof and realized that someone-or some_thing_-was traveling along the ventilation system. Frightened, Felix dove under a table to hide. He knew he'd have no chance surviving against anything dangerous in this world. As he hid and waited, the thing in the ducts got closer and closer to the opening by the main door. Then, the cover from the vent was kicked off and landed on the floor with a _clang!_ Felix flinched, anxiously staring up to see what would emerge and-

His blue eyes popped wide open with surprise and recognition.

_Jimminy Jamminy! That's Turbo!_

Felix couldn't believe it but there he was in his old red-and-white uniform trying to carefully drop down to the floor. Once he landed, he looked around and peeked his head out the same door Felix had looked through minutes before. The coast must have been clear because he exited.

A determined look in his eyes, Felix emerged from his hiding spot and marched forward. He had no clue how his old neighbor had survived that volcanic explosion months ago but he knew one thing for sure: Turbo was not going to do to _Hero's Duty_ what he did to _Sugar Rush_!

Felix crept through the doors and saw Turbo digging around in some lockers that were located down the hall to the right. The racer's back was turned so the handyman could easily sneak up on him. He puffed up his chest and moved towards him.

"Come on, there's gotta be something useful in one of these," Turbo was muttering under his breath as he searched through the soldiers' belongings.

Felix stood right behind him, his arms crossed, and cleared his throat. Turbo startled a bit (cursing himself for continually getting spooked around here) and spun around. He initially looked up, thinking that a soldier was behind him. Felix was about a head shorter than him so he had to look back down a good ways.

"Fix-It Felix, Jr.!" Turbo greeted with his friendliest smile. "Fancy meeting you here!"

"_Why_ are you here?" Felix asked in a serious tone, his arms still crossed.

"Who, _me_?" He pointed at himself innocently. "Oh, I was just, uh, taking a tour of the place. Let me tell ya, it's a pretty dreadful establishment. All this black and chrome, it's too dark for my taste." He tugged at his collar as he tried to sell the lie. "Actually, I was _just_ trying to get out of here when you stopped me. Hey, do they have cars in this joint?"

Felix didn't respond, only raised a single eyebrow. Turbo sighed in resignation.

"You're not buying this, are you?"

"Can't say that I am."

A series of footsteps sounded from the other end of the hall. The soldiers would be back here soon.

"Look, Fix-It, I'd love to stay and chat, catch up on the times and all that jazz, but these guys kinda want to kill me so I really _must_ be going."

Turbo opened up a different locker and out fell a cruiser. It opened up and the rocket on the end flared up so it would hover above the floor.

"Well, it doesn't have wheels but this'll do nicely," the racer stated, about to hop on.

Felix grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Oh no, you don't! I'm not letting you out of my sight!"

Turbo turned his head to look back. "Fix-It...you're a nice guy," he said in a low voice. "I'd really hate to have to punch you right now."

"Go ahead, I'll just heal myself." Felix used his free hand to pat his golden hammer.

"Oh right, you can do that. Cheater."

"There's the intruder!" a booming male voice called out from down the hall. Felix recognized him as Kohut, one of his closer friends in the game. "And he's got a partner! Get them!"

With a unanimous cry, the troop of five men ran towards the two outsiders.

Felix let go of Turbo to wave his hands in front of him. "Wait, guys, it's me! Felix!"

Turbo took the opportunity to jump aboard the cruiser. It took a second for it to take off but boy did it ever go! Felix realized that his soldier buddies meant business and began to chase after the racer. He was able to hop fast enough to jump forcefully onto the back end, accidentally causing it to go off balance and start rocking.

"Get off my rocket board, hammerhead!" Turbo threatened as he tried to keep them from wrecking into a wall. He put a hand on Felix's forehead and pushed him backwards to get him to fall. Felix slipped but caught himself in time, having to resort to holding onto the cruiser with both arms and legs wrapped around it in a death grip.

"It's called a cruiser, motormouth!" Felix shot back as he tried to hang on. "Slow down!"

Gunfire erupted in the background. A bullet whizzed past them.

"They're shooting at us and you want me to slow down?!" Turbo yelled, glancing back and down at his stowaway with a glare.

Since he wasn't paying attention, Turbo didn't turn to miss the window that was directly in their path. Luckily, it was open so no glass shattered. The cruiser began to fly out into the night sky that _Hero's Duty_ constantly possessed.

"Turn around!" Felix screamed in a panicked voice, wrapping himself tighter around the hover board.

"Nobody invited you on this ride! If you don't like it, _get off_!"

Much to Felix's horror, Turbo started stomping on his fingers. The handyman had to grit his teeth to stifle the pain.

"Are you crazy! You're going to end up killing us both!"

"Don't pretend you care," Turbo growled. "Nobody else does."

"That's your own fault!" Felix shouted angrily. "You ruined your own life because of your silly pride!"

The racer's eyes glowed with anger. "You weren't even there so what do you know!"

While they argued, the cruiser dipped down and zipped through the electrical cord serving as a portal to Game Central Station. Everyone that was currently there gasped as the duo flew out above the crowd and swerved in random directions. Turbo was still trying to kick Felix off the ride and Felix was still trying to hang on.

"Holy moley!" shouted the Surge Protector. "It's TURBO!"

Everyone immediately flew into a panic, causing mass chaos in the station.

"Run for your lives, he'll kill us all!"

"He's going to take over all the games!"

"Mommy!"

Paperboy took a closer look. "Hey, look, Fix-It Felix is with him!"

Surge Protector squinted his eyes. "You're right! He must be trying to stop him from crashing the rest of the arcade! Get him, Felix!"

Felix finally had enough of this seemingly never-ending battle and swung his weight enough to knock Turbo off balance. The racer ended up clinging to the side, legs dangling below him.

"Good job, hero! Now we really_ will_ crash!"

The cruiser went down another portal and came zooming out the other side. Something light and fluffy covered them as they flew through the air.

"Cotton candy?" Felix asked out loud, spitting the sweet stuff out of his mouth.

"Oh no," Turbo groaned. "Anywhere but _here_!"

It was too late. They crashed into Candy Cane Forest, same as Wreck-It Ralph had a few months ago when he came here by accident. The cruiser fell out of reach to the ground. Turbo and Felix hung onto the branches, the former glaring at the latter.

"Well, isn't _this_ just turbo-freaking-tastic!" he spat angrily. "Congratulations, you caught me! _Now what_?!"

"I don't know! And there's no need to get mad about all this, it's _your_ fault!"

"_MY_ fault?" Turbo asked as he dropped down a branch. "How is this _my_ fault? If _you_ hadn't jumped aboard, we wouldn't be here at all!"

"Well, _you_ shouldn't have tried to escape!" Felix retorted, trying to climb down lower. His face softened as he looked at his former neighbor. "I wouldn't have let them shoot you. I would've talked some sense into them. Those guys are buds of mine."

Turbo looked at him with consideration. He knew Felix enough to know that he was telling the truth. The perpetual nice guy wouldn't allow anyone under his watch to fall to harm, even if that person deserved it. A feeling of guilt swept over him that he had ruined Felix's perfect little life...then he reminded himself that _that_ was the reason he messed it up to begin with. Turbo dropped down another branch, being careful to watch exactly where he stepped.

"What a pal," he replied sarcastically. He leaned his weight against the tree's trunk as he waited on the shorter man to catch up, looking down to the ground as he did so. He and trees didn't get along very well, he remembered, then he made himself _not_ remember as a flicker of another memory tried to bud up to the surface.

"Next time we go on vacation, _I'm _choosing the destination," he said casually.

Felix dangled carefully and stretched his legs out to step on a lower branch on the other side of Turbo, groaning in annoyance as he did so.

"Do you _always_ have something to say?"

"Yep. And here's one more thing."

"What?"

Turbo gave him a grin that Felix wasn't sure he liked. "Double stripe."

"Double stripe?"

The branch Felix had stepped on vanished without warning beneath him, resulting in him falling the entire rest of the way down the tree. He didn't stop until he hit bottom, landing on a particularly huge branch. Felix thought it looked vaguely familiar; he remembered fully _after _it disappeared. From there, he fell a shorter distance and crashed into a sandy pit.

"Oh, man, not this again!" he whined as he read the "Nesquik Sand" sign beside him.

"Double striped limbs disappear on contact!" he heard Turbo call out from above.

Felix looked up and saw the racer, who had now safely reached the bottom, smiling down at him smugly. The racer grabbed a small twig off one branch and used it as a toothpick.

"I learned that little trick one of my first few days here when I was scouting the place out," he explained. "Sorry I don't have a glass of milk to offer you. That stuff's pretty tasty!"

"You're not gonna leave me down here, are you?"

"Hmmm." Turbo pretended to think the matter over. "Actually, I think I will. Nothing personal, you understand. I just need to hide out without any witnesses. Now, I believe I'll head up to the Go-Kart Bakery and mix up a getaway car."

"You better not be planning on commandeering _Sugar Rush_ again!" Felix threatened. "You can't get away with it a second time!"

"Oh please, give it a rest! This is the last place I want to be, trust me. Besides, I'd be more concerned with that _Hero's Duty_ game if I were you."

Felix looked appalled. "Why do you say that? You fiend, you better not have hurt Tamora!"

"The Amazon with the gun? Yeah, like I could hurt _her_. I know I'm awesome, but even _that's_ too much for me to handle." He gave Felix a mock salute, a big grin on his face. "Abyssinia, Fix-It!"

"Hey, get back here! Hey! _HEY_! Jimminy jamminy, how do I get myself into these fixes?"


	4. Candy Corn, Skittles, and Licorice too

**That Little Game Called Life**

**Chapter Four**

To say Calhoun was pissed would have been an understatement. Not only had her perimeter been breeched, but her...husband?...was MIA and the person responsible had managed to escape their world entirely. Naturally, she had insisted on rounding up the men and chasing the fugitive down but it was shot down by her superior, General Hologram, for the time being. He had called everyone via radio to head to the Meeting Chambers on base to give debriefing on the situation. Once the team was present and accounted for, the General allowed himself to become visible by a small stand in the front of the room.

The General was normally shown within gametime to be only a large head with hands that came up to salute every now and then. Any other time, like now, he looked like any other humanoid being. He was tall, even by Calhoun's standards, and dressed in a formal olive-green Army dress suit with a hat and some medals completing the look. His sharp eyes scanned the room, prompting the soldiers to stand at attention, their arms raised up in a salute.

**At ease. You probably know why I summoned you all here for this emergency meeting. I will attempt to be brief. We have on our hands a criminal caught trying to hack into our game's code. Sergeant Calhoun, I believe you are the one who first apprehended the suspect? **

"Yes, sir! And sir, I'd like to add that I believe he's done something to Dr. Scott as well. He's nowhere to be found."

General Hologram hesitated, as if he were processing the idea through his computerized mind. He nodded at the sergeant before speaking.

**Sergeant Calhoun is correct in her assumption. We have no clues on the doctor's whereabouts at this time but he is one of our own. The one we are searching for is a former racecar driver known as Turbo, from the now-obsolete game _TurboTime_. White bodysuit, red trim, helmet with a red T on the front is the description we have. If possible, bring him in alive. If not, so be it. So far, he appears to be working alone.**

"Excuse me, General?" Kohut stepped forward from the crowd. "If I may add something, sir?"

**Proceed.**

"A few of us saw this Turbo character escaping with someone. A shorter man dressed in blue denim with what appeared to be a tool belt around his waist. Just thought you should know, sir."

The holographic man processed this information. He glanced at Calhoun from the corner of his eye to see if she had any reaction to this news. He smiled when she did not. Turbo had erased all memory of their marriage just as he had asked him to and had apparently done the same with everyone else on the team.

**Excellent work, Kohut. That man you saw was Fix-It Felix, Jr. from his namesake game. Obviously, he is working with Turbo and must be brought in for questioning. I am glad that he came up into conversation now because there is other matters we must discuss.**

**Another mission I would like to add to our agenda is this. The reason we are experiencing this crisis is because game characters are free to enter other games at their leisure. This Turbo criminal has destroyed three games, including his own, by doing this. We cannot allow our own to be destroyed, correct?  
**

A chorus of "No, sir!" sounded loudly in the room.

**With that in mind, I have devised a plan of action to keep harm from befalling us. We must instill military rule across this arcade. No more of this "game-jumping" as the civilians call it. We must keep everyone confined to their own homes, not just for our own safety but theirs as well. You die outside your game, permanently, as you all well know.**

**Now, I understand that there are many out there who do not have a home game anymore. "Homeless" ones. It is my belief that they pose a threat to society and must be arrested and brought in before causing harm to an active game. This Felix character that was mentioned earlier is known to be harboring a large group within his own game. This cannot be tolerated.  
**

**I ask you in your search that you bring in all the rogues you find and bring them here to the Brig where they will await further action. Now, allow me to brief you on the list of current games and their legal occupants.**

* * *

Back in Molasses Swamp, Rancis and Gloyd had grown bored of waiting for Ralph to find them so they decided to sneak off towards the Milk Chocolate Pond on the swamp's edge bordering the Candy Corn Field. They were presently skipping candy rocks over the pond's surface. Being the only two boys in the game, they'd grown to be best friends and typically were seen causing mischief throughout the land after gameplay hours.

"Ha! My rock bounced more than yours!" Gloyd bragged loudly.

"I just threw too early, is all," insisted Rancis, adjusting his hat to sit properly on his thick blonde hair. "How long you think it'll be before they find out we're not hiding anymore?"

"We _are_ hiding, just not the way they expect. I'm getting bored anyway. What do you say we go find the girls ourselves and scare them?"

"Isn't that a little mean?"

"Nah! They'll just get mad for a while but they'll get over it. You know how girls are."

Rancis threw one last rock and dusted his hands on his pants. "All right, but if we find Vanellope, _you_ can scare her. She packs a sour punch." He instinctively rubbed his jaw from where she had accidentally punched him a few months ago for sneaking up on her before a race.

"Aww, you scared of the little princess?" Gloyd teased him.

"No," the peanut-butter themed racer blushed slightly. "Come on, let's go."

About three yards into the swamp, they had to push aside some chocolate-covered strawberry bushes that grew wild in that particular area. They couldn't even see over their heads! Not too long after they started, Gloyd stopped dead in his tracks, causing Rancis to run into him.

"Hey, what gives?"

"Shh! I hear something," Gloyd whispered, making Rancis duck down with him. "I bet it's one of the girls! Let's split up and get her!"

Rancis sighed but he agreed to do it. He went right while Gloyd went left. The sound of bushes rustling became louder, meaning whoever it was getting closer to where he was. Rancis stood still, holding his breath. He really didn't want to scare anyone but he knew Gloyd would give him an earful if he didn't.

_Just a little longer. Wait for it..._

Rancis jumped out in front of him with a "RAWWWR!" and-

Turbo jumped back when the random kid appeared from the bushes. Rancis immediately fell silent, a petrified look on his face. They stared at each other for an awkward moment.

The older racer put on a nice smile, not wanting to alarm the child. "Hey...Fluggerbutter, right? Kinda scared me there, haha."

"AHHHH!" Rancis screamed at the top of his lungs.

"No-no-no, it's okay, it's okay!" Turbo tried to quiet him. It didn't work.

"IT'S TURBO!" Rancis cried out, high-tailing it past his former false-king and making a run for the middle of the swamp. Gloyd had heard him and started running behind him, looking back as he did so. Both of them were screaming as they disappeared into the distance.

"Good for nothing kids!"

Turbo knew he wasn't going to have a lot of time before he got caught, whether it by all the _Sugar Rush_ racers forming a united front or by the pastry cops and their devil dogs or someone else entirely. The racer began to run forward into the Candy Corn Field as a shortcut to get to the Go-Kart Bakery. If only he could have enough time to build a kart, he could escape this place and hide out where no one, not even those lunatic _Hero's Duty_ soldiers, could find him. He tore into the thick crops of candy cornstalks and tried to mentally picture what direction he needed to go in to get to the bakery.

That's when his second big shock in a ten minute period happened. He was jogging along one of the rows when he swore he heard something breathing heavily behind him. Hot warm breath with a slightly sweet fruity smell to it filled the air. Turbo's eyes got big as he realized what a huge mistake he had made in entering the fields had been. He turned around very slowly and came face to face with Skittles.

Not Skittles the candy, mind you...no, Skittles was a pink uni-candy-corn that breathed fire. Yes, there was a fire-breathing equine in _Sugar Rush_ for who knows what reason. He looked like any other horse except for the piece of candy corn stuck to his head like a horn. The stallion was only allowed to stay in the fields and was physically unable to leave it due to his programming. Turbo backed up slowly from the very angry beast that stood about as tall as he did.

"Nice pony...you might not remember me, but we used to be pals...sort of. You may have tried to set me on fire a few times. I will forgive you of that if you just go away and do your little horsey thing somewhere else."

Skittles wasn't having it. He reared back on his haunches, whinnied in a terrifying manner, and proceeded to try and stomp the intruder that was trespassing on his turf. Turbo knew better than to fight a deranged pink monstrosity so he did the only logical thing he could do.

_RUN._

He ran as fast as his legs would take him, praying to the gods of the arcade world, with the enraged animal hot on his trail. The fire coming from its mouth was getting closer and closer to scorching him. Turbo saw the edge of the field and attempted to perform a graceful dive out of harm's way but he tripped and ended up rolling just feet from danger. Skittles came to a halt at the field's edge, braying ferociously and stomping his legs about. Candy corn was falling off the stalks and getting crushed into the ground as a result.

Turbo lifted his head and smirked at the trapped uni-candy-corn. "Ha! Take _that_, you stupid pony!" He jammed his third finger up in a vulgar gesture for emphasis. "I should've tanned your hide for a blanket years ago!"

Just when he thought he was in the clear, he felt something grab him from behind. A huge hand had appeared out of nowhere and had wrapped itself fully around his body like he were a little doll. That's when he got his third big shock in a short time span.

"Wreck-It Ralph!" he greeted warmly, same as he had done to Felix back in _Hero's Duty_. "Fancy meeting you here!"

Ralph's piercing eyes bore into the racer's own. The larger-than-life wrecker was standing in front of the other racers, who had all come out of hiding when the boys ran into the swamp screaming.

"What are you doing here?" Ralph asked angrily. "How are you even alive?"

"It's a weird, complicated story that I don't really understand myself."

"That's not an answer."

"It's the only one I've got." He gulped worriedly. "Look, I know this looks really bad but I'm not here to cause a problem."

"Problems are all you know how to do! I can't believe you have the nerve to come back here after what you did to this world and most of all to Vanellope!"

Ah, yes, the former glitch. Turbo caught a glimpse of her in the small crowd of racers as they all stared at him. He felt the sickening rise of hatred well up in his throat as he looked at her, surrounded by her little friends as if they were going to protect her. He knew the child had never done him any wrong or deserved what he had put her through over the last fifteen years, but the idea that the little snot-nosed runt had gotten the better of him was enough to send him over the edge.

"Yeah, yeah, she's fine now, isn't she? Hey, what are you planning to do, just stand here and hold me all day?"

Ralph looked upwards to think. Then a small smile spread slowly over his lips, one that Turbo didn't like.

"Oh, I have a good idea of what to do with you."

* * *

"Ow! Stop that! OW! I said stop it, you little brats!"

Ralph had gotten some licorice rope and tied Turbo up to a chocolate tree so the kids could use him as a makeshift pinata. Ralph stood back and enjoyed the show for awhile, then decided he better go grab Felix for help in the matter. He believed he was visiting Calhoun over at _Hero's Duty_, last he'd heard.

"Okay, kids, have fun! I'll be right back!"

"Ralph, don't leave me here with these-OW!"

Someone, he believed it was Minty Zaki, had just whacked him hard with a branch of candy cane. If he had never hated kids before, he certainly did now. Rotten little apples, they were, and they were all giggling away like this was some kind of comedy hour they had just tuned into. A chocolate mudball ended up in his face, dripping down the front of him.

"Have some candy!" Taffyta said mockingly, throwing her beloved sucker at the imprisoned racer.

The hard candy bonked him hard on the nose, making his eyes well up with tears. He shook his head to make the pain subside faster. Unfortunately, all the moving around caused the branch he was suspended from to snap and he wound up landing hard face first in the gloopy ground.

Everyone started cracking up at this.

Well, everyone except Vanellope.

She had always thought that if given the chance to see Turbo again, she would love to see him suffer in a similar way that she had during her years of being a glitch. If anyone ever deserved punishment, it was _this_ guy. But she realized that getting revenge on him wasn't making her feel very good. In fact, she felt really crummy. This person, whom she had cast as a monster in her mind, was not looking very monstrous right now or even the least bit threatening. He looked down right pathetic laying there all tied up in the mud with everyone laughing at him like he were a sideshow freak. She knew how he felt and it didn't feel very good.

Turbo managed to get his face out of the mud so he could breathe, a pained look in his eyes. Vanellope stepped forward and held her arms up above her head.

"All right, that's enough, guys! Show's over!"

"But, Vanellope-," Taffyta started but Vanellope wouldn't let her finish.

"I said that's enough," the young president said in a more forceful tone.

She turned to Turbo, who was eying her suspiciously. What was the little crumb up to? She slowly made her way to him, a solemn look on her face. Turbo squinted his eyes shut, prepared for her to kick his teeth in when suddenly he felt her trying to sit him upright. He popped his eyes open and gave her a curious glance. It took her a bit of effort but she eventually got him sitting up where he could face her. She then stepped back and took a good look at him.

Turbo didn't know what to think of this. He had never been more perplexed in his life than in that moment. Then Vanellope reached inside her hoodie pocket and pulled out what looked like a handkerchief. When she moved forward and reached her hand out, he flinched back, not sure what she had in mind. He shut his eyes again, expecting her to perhaps smother him with the cloth but again he was surprised when it didn't happen. Instead, she started gently wiping the mud from around his eyes, smartly avoiding his teeth. He might be tied up but he could still bite.

When finished, she stepped back again. "Feel a little better?"

"Don't touch me again."

"I thought you'd prefer not having chocolate burning your eyes. A thank you would be nice."

Everyone hung back behind the girl, their breaths held in trepidation.

Turbo stared at her with glowing eyes, his hands starting to curl into fists. What kind of game was she playing here?

"Is this some kind of trick?"

She seemed surprised at the question. "Don't be so paranoid. I was just being nice."

He continued to stare at her warily. Eventually he calmed down enough to relax his fists and let his breathing get back to a normal rate.

"Thanks," he muttered, looking away from her.

"What was that, I didn't hear you," Vanellope joked lightly, putting a hand up to her ear.

"Don't push it, you little cavity."

Vanellope smiled to herself and turned to talk to her friends. "I think you guys can go now. I'll wait for Ralph to come back then I'll see you guys later, okay?"

"Are you sure?" Rancis asked worriedly, earning a snicker from Gloyd.

"Sure, he can't do anything all tied up. Go on, don't worry about me."

They all said their good-byes and headed out towards the swamp's entrance where they had all parked their cars. Once they were out of earshot, Vanellope turned back to her former tormentor.

"So, how _did_ you survive?" she asked, sitting cross-legged in front of him.

"Just lucky I guess," he replied, still not looking at her. "I'm so full of luck these days, you know."

She couldn't help but smile. Even after being chased around by a territorial pony and being pelted with candy, he still had some humor in him.

"Did it hurt?"

"Did _what_ hurt?"

She rolled her eyes. "The volcano, ga-doy!"

He shot her a quick daggering glare before staring off into the distance. "No, it felt like a day at the sauna. Of _course_ it hurt! Why are you bothering me like this?"

"I'm just trying to pass the time 'til Stinkbrain gets back," she explained, subconsciously chewing on the strings of her hoodie as she talked. "Do you have a favorite flavor?"

The racer sighed dejectedly. He figured he might as well make the best of the situation and humor the kid. "It _was_ chocolate up until now."

She smirked in spite of herself. "Are you bald or do you have hair?"

Now he rolled _his_ eyes. "It's black," he answered bluntly.

She perked up in interest. "Can I see?"

"No."

"Aww, why not?"

"Because I say so."

"You're no fun at this," Vanellope pouted.

"I'm not a very fun guy."

"I bet you _used_ to be."

He scoffed at that. Vanellope smiled again.

"So why can't I see?"

"Because it doesn't fix right without gel, _okay_!"

"I never would've pegged you as a diva," she snorted in laughter.

"There's nothing wrong with wanting to look decent," Turbo said in his defense, getting annoyed again. "At least I don't have candy stuck in my hair like _certain_ people."

The child blew a raspberry at that. "What's your favorite color?"

His eyes snapped open. "What?"

"I _said_ what's your favorite color? Are you deaf?"

_What's your favorite color?_

What's...your...favorite...

_No, no, NO, don't think about her, don't think about her_, he tried to force himself to think.

Too late. He'd already let the memory sink in without even realizing he had.

* * *

_They were laying on the hood of his car looking up at the clouds that decorated the sky of TurboTime. She had a daisy in one hand, twirling it about lazily, and her head against his shoulder. Her other hand was holding his, fingers interlaced. He was resting his eyes, being content in the peaceful moment. The Temptations were singing My Girl on the little radio she brought with her.  
_

_"Hey, champ, random question. What's your favorite color?"_

_"I can't believe you have to ask!" he chuckled, cracking an eye to see her. "It's red, of course."  
_

_She turned to look at him, her green eyes sparkling with the life she was so full of. "Let me guess, because of the car, right?"  
_

_"Smart-ass," he smiled warmly at her, letting go of her hand so he could wrap an arm around her and pull her closer. "Not everything's about the car." _

_He ran a hand through her hair as he talked. _

* * *

Her hair...

Her hair had been red.

The memory came and went like a flash of lightening. It had been brief and mundane perhaps, but still painful. Anything reminding him of _her_ was painful. He realized Vanellope was waving her hand in front of his face as if to wake him from a daze.

"Hello? Hey, did you hear me? Did you get some chocolate under your helmet and in your ears or something? I asked what your favorite color was."

Turbo blinked a few times to get his mind clear. Vanellope became a little worried. She wasn't sure what had just happened but she apparently had triggered something to upset him.

"It's red," he said at length, in a soft voice that made Vanellope feel sad. "And before you ask, it wasn't because of the car."

* * *

_Skittles the pink uni-candy-corn is property of Disney. He was a scrapped character according to "The Art of Wreck-It Ralph". Believe it or not, I did not make him up! He was too cute to not include somewhere :)_


	5. Let's Split Up, Gang

**That Little Game Called Life**

**Chapter Five**

Felix had finally escaped the Nesquik Sand. He'd had to resort to punching himself in the face repeatedly in order to get the Laffy Taffy to come down low enough for him to grab. The job had definitely easier when Tamora had been assisting him. He smiled at the memory, when they had first started to bond several months prior. The handyman shook the excess sand off his clothes and trudged forward. Turbo had gotten a decent head start on him and Felix didn't have time to waste.

Luckily, he had found the abandoned cruiser near the tree where it had landed. He was surprised Turbo didn't take it with him but he supposed didn't feel like trying to ride it again or maybe just forgot about it. Felix activated the board and hopped on. Driving it was much easier when he was the only one on it, that was for sure. He made it out of the forest and onto the main track when much to his relief he saw his buddy Ralph coming up.

"Ralph!" he laughed, waving his arms wildly. "Ralph, over here, brother!"

"Hey, hey, Felix!" the bigger man called back, running up to him. "I thought you were in _Hero's Duty_!"

"I was. Oh boy, you'll never believe what I've been through," Felix began, wiping his brow with his arm.

"Tell me later, we've got bigger problems." Ralph sighed and a serious expression settled on his face. "Turbo's back."

He was stunned at Felix's response. "_I know_, that's what I was coming to warn _you_ about! I got stuck in the quicksand and just now got out. So you've seen him? Where he is?"

"Ah, don't worry," Ralph waved his arms out casually. "I strung him up like a pinata for the kids to play with."

Felix laughed aloud. "Really?"

"Yep. I was on my way to find you to help me with him. Where did _you_ see him?"

"He was in _Hero's Duty_, believe it or not," he replied, a worried look on his face as he said. "I don't know why he was there but I'm sure it was no good."

"Well, maybe we better go ask him. Not that I'd believe him."

* * *

"Vanellope, you can't let yourself be alone with that guy!" Ralph was scolding her upon his and Felix's arrival in the swamp. "He's dangerous, he could hurt you!"

"I can handle myself," Vanellope said stubbornly. She dropped her voice down to a whisper. "Besides, I think I made him sad. He's been sitting there all quiet for a while."

Ralph looked over at where Turbo was sitting. He _did_ look rather miserable.

"He _should_ feel sad," Ralph said at length. "He should feel _terrible_."

"Now, barf face, we should treat others as we want to be treated."

Ralph sighed. She was right of course. It amazed him sometimes that he could learn a thing or two from a nine-year-old pipsqueak. He patted her on the head gently.

"I know, and I'm glad you know that too. It's just that he did something so horrible, it's hard to even think about being nice to him."

"People can change. I mean, look at us, we used to not be able to stand each other and now we're best friends!"

Ralph chuckled as he remembered his first encounter with the tiny imp. She definitely had not given a good first impression, what with stealing his (stolen) medal and making fun of him.

"How about I get my car and we all ride back to the entrance?" Vanellope suggested. "Turd-o can ride on the back bumper."

"Haha, that's a pretty good nickname. Okay, we'll do that."

* * *

In the meantime, Felix had walked up to where Turbo was still sitting. He hid a chuckle behind one of his hands when he saw that he was indeed all tied up in licorice and covered in chocolate mud. Turbo grinned back at him and _not_ in a friendly way. He would admit that he was glad adults were now present again on the scene, even if they _were_ Ralph and Felix.

"Hey, Fix-It, how was the beach?"

"Beach? Oh, yes. Um, I had to resort to self-violence, thanks to you." He put his fists on his hips. "I'm not very happy about that."

"Good thing you can heal yourself then, huh, Hammer Bro.?"

Felix cleared his throat before changing the subject. "So I take it you didn't make it to the bakery?"

Turbo's grin fell. "I would've made it if it hadn't been for those meddling kids and their stupid freak pony."

"Freak pony?" He scratched his head. Turbo had an odd way of putting things sometimes, at least to _him_. "Oh you must mean Skittles! He's really sweet." Felix smiled boyishly. "He likes to eat out of my hands!"

The racer's jaw dropped. "You mean he lets you near...oh forget it. I don't even want to know."

"He even lets me scratch his chin sometimes."

"I'm very happy for you both, let me know how the honeymoon goes." He got a mischievous glint in his eye. "Say, speaking of those, how exactly does that work for you and the missus?"

Felix blushed. "I, uh, well...we..."

"I'm assuming since she has the gun, she calls the shots!" Turbo bust out laughing at his own joke.

"I don't think that's any of your business," Felix finally mumbled out, embarrassed beyond imagination.

Ralph walked up at that time. "Hey, the munchkin went to get the car so we can ride back up front. What's wrong with you, Felix?"

"Nothing's wrong!" Felix insisted, his face still red. He didn't like discussing such private matters with other people. That was just plain rude.

"What kind of field trip are we going on now?" Turbo wanted to know. His arms were cramping from being tied up. "I think I've seen enough sights to last me a while."

"We're going back to _Hero's Duty_ so we can fix whatever you did over there," Ralph told him with a withering look.

Turbo's eyes got big. "No, we can't go back there!" he cried out. "They'll kill me!"

"No, they won't," Felix assured him. "I told you, they're buddies of mine. The least they'll do is lock you up."

"You don't understand," the racer continued. "Didn't you notice that they didn't recognize you earlier? I erased their memories."

Ralph and Felix exchanged alarmed glances.

"You did WHAT?" Felix exclaimed, his voice getting high. "You did WHAT?"

"You said that twice."

Ralph picked up the little man and stared down into his eyes. "Why would you do that? It's not even a racing game, what could you possibly _do_ there?"

"You're not as dumb as you look," Turbo semi-complimented him. "I was being held prisoner there. That General Hologram guy forced me to do it or he'd have someone kill me."

The other two exchanged glances a second time. Then they burst out laughing.

"I'm telling the truth!" Turbo insisted, almost pleading with them. "Seriously! He said he wanted all the memories gone so he could have clean slates to work with."

Felix wiped a tear from his eye. "Oh, Turbo, I can't believe I fell for that! What a kidder! Why, General Hologram's a real standup guy."

"Yeah, he gives the medal to the players," Ralph added. "He even let _me_ have one."

"Wait, he _gave_ that to you?" He remembered the gold coin that Vanellope had stolen from Ralph, which had somewhat snowballed his ending days as king. "Why the _hell_ did he do that?"

"Language!" Felix scolded.

"Yeah, there's children in this game, you know."

Turbo looked around them. "I don't see any running around, do _you_? Geez, I seem to remember you guys being a little cooler back in the day."

"Funny, we seem to remember the same thing about you," Ralph smarted back.

The sound of an engine filled the air and Vanellope's car rolled up beside them. "I'm here!" she exclaimed proudly. "All aboard!"

* * *

Surge Protector was glad when two of the _Hero's Duty_ soldiers, including Calhoun, approached him. He quickly answered their question on if he had seen Turbo anywhere recently, pointing directly to the portal of _Sugar Rush_.

"Don't know what it is about that game but everyone seems to like crashing into it," the holographic security officer related to them. "Your husband seemed to be trying to stop him."

Calhoun gaped at him. "You saw him? Are you sure of that?"

"Pretty sure. I didn't notice him go anywhere else after that, so yeah he must have."

Calhoun nodded at Kohut and the two of them headed into the _Sugar Rush_ portal.

* * *

"I'd like everyone to know that I am mentally flipping all of you the bird right now."

The foursome were traveling in Vanellope's go-kart heading for the entrance. The girl herself was naturally driving, Ralph was in his usual place in the back, and Felix was hanging onto the spoiler that they had decided to tie Turbo to. He had a sour look on his face as they drove, Felix keeping an eye on him and fighting back chuckles as he did so.

"What's flipping the bird?" Vanellope asked.

"Something you don't need to know about," Ralph answered quickly before Turbo could give a smart remark.

"Once we get back to _Hero's Duty_," Felix began, mostly directing this at Turbo. "You are going to undo whatever it is you did over there, if anything. Then we'll have to figure out what to do with you."

"Throw him in the fungeon!" Vanellope suggested, pumping a fist in the air.

"Just throw me back in the volcano," Turbo groaned bitterly. "It's better than what they'll do to me at that grim bug-infested inferno."

Felix laughed and patted the racer's helmet, much to his chagrin. "You're so melodramatic! Cheer up."

"What's to be cheery about? So far I've been shot at, nearly barbecued by a carousel reject, and assaulted by orphans."

"It makes for good bedtime story material!" Vanellope offered, snickering as she did so. "_The Tale of Turbo's Terrible Time in Taffy Town_. Like how I used all T-words?"

The group was making its way through the electrical cord, the kart's headlights brightening the dark tunnel for them. Vanellope spotted someone close ahead and began to put on the brakes.

"Hey, it's Sergeant Callous," she waved happily.

A huge smile spread on Felix's rosy face and he jumped off. "I'll handle this, fellas."

Turbo tried to turn his head to watch but found that to be difficult with Ralph in his way. He started squirming around to loosen up the licorice but that proved to be just as difficult. Too bad he couldn't reach down enough to bite his way through the sticky strands.

Felix hopped up to his wife, relieved she was okay. "Tammy, I've been so worried about-"

Calhoun shoved a gun in his face. Felix immediately threw his arms up, bewildered by this. "Tamora, what-what are you doing? It's me, Felix! It's because I called you Tammy, right?"

"I know exactly who you are!" she snapped in a voice that Felix had only heard her use with her own men when they got out of line. "Tell me where your partner is to make it easier on yourself!"

"P-partner? What are you-"

"Don't play games with me, mister!" she continued, a cold look in her eyes. "That racer guy, the one you escaped with! We have orders to bring both of you in."

Ralph and Vanellope looked at each other.

"I told you!" Turbo whispered at Ralph harshly. "I told you and you didn't believe me! I erased her memories! She doesn't have a clue who Fix-It is and she thinks her old fiancee is alive!"

"What!" Ralph whispered back, a panicked look on his face. Perhaps they had jumped the gun at assuming Turbo had been lying to them earlier. You never could tell with a guy like him, you know. This was bad, really bad. He thought fast.

"Vanellope, when I say go, you slam on the gas, okay?"

"But I'll run them over!" she protested.

"No you won't," he reassured her. "I'll grab Felix and we'll make a getaway into the station."

Vanellope threw him a thumbs up. "Hang onto your diapers, babies."

Felix was backing up from his wife, hurt and confused. The sound of the kart behind him was enough to snap him out of his thoughts momentarily and he found himself being picked up and then he was back in the car. Calhoun had to dodge out of the way to avoid being run over and began to give chase.

"Kohut, don't let them get by you!" she ordered up ahead via headset.

Felix held onto Ralph as they zoomed down the remainder of the electrical cord. "I don't understand!" he wailed, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. "All I did was call her Tammy! What's so bad about that!"

"Listen, Turbo was right about erasing their memories!" Ralph filled him in. "She doesn't remember you!"

The handyman stared down at the racer in shock. Turbo grinned at him sheepishly.

"It wasn't my idea!" he said in self-defense. "That general guy told me-"

"You...you big jerk!" Felix spat out the best insult he could come with. "You erased my marriage, what is wrong with you! And to think I was going to talk them out of shooting you!"

Vanellope saw Kohut standing at the portal up ahead. "Uh-oh, incoming!" she yelled, bracing herself for impact.

Kohut thankfully jumped out of the way. The car swerved wildly as it exited the portal and raced into Game Central Station. The citizens that were still roaming about freely began to run away to avoid being hit by the candy-coated kart. She swerved a little too hard at one point when Frogger didn't quite jump out of the way fast enough, being just enough force to throw Felix off the car and roll away a few feet.

"Hey, we lost Felix!" Ralph informed the pint-sized driver. "We gotta turn around!"

"I'm trying!" she said, just barely missing a group of zombies.

Turbo in the meantime was struggling to escape his bonds, using the car's swerving motions to help him forcefully loosen the ropes. He finally managed to stretch the licorice enough to squeeze out the top and make a jump for it. Everyone screamed and ran when they saw that he was loose.

Calhoun and Kohut appeared then and began to run into the maddening crowd. She would've preferred to use the gun but she knew better than to use it in a crowded room of civilians, especially when they were running around like this.

Turbo decided to make a run for it. Where, he had no clue. He picked the closest portal and dived into the little cart they had provided to give rides into the world, pulling levers to make it go. Suddenly, Felix appeared practically on top of him, a very cross look on his face.

"Stop following me around!" Turbo yelled as the transportation cart lurched forward and headed into the abyss. "You're like a stray goomba!"

"You better be glad I'm not the type of person to punch you in the face!" Felix yelled back. He couldn't remember the last time he had been this angry at someone, if ever. "I can't believe you erased Tamora's memories of being married! That's low even for you!"

"For the last time, it wasn't my idea! I'm getting really sick of being blamed for everything around here!"

"Everything _is_ your fault! I still can't believe you!" he kept saying. "How would you have liked it if someone had erased Rosie's memories of _you_?"

Felix wasn't prepared for the reaction he got from the racer. He looked extremely hurt by that comment, which Felix guessed was what he wanted out of him when he said it. It took a minute for Turbo to get over himself and punch Felix right in the face.

"DON'T EVER MENTION HER AGAIN!"

Neither of them had been paying attention at how fast their transportation was getting and they certainly weren't prepared for the sudden stop. They ended up crash-landing for the second time that day but this time they had no clue where they were.

* * *

Meanwhile, Vanellope and Ralph were still racing around the station. Ralph looked behind and realized to his dismay that Turbo had escaped his sugary bonds. He slapped his forehead with one of his huge hands.

"Unbelievable! Now_ Turbo's_ missing!"

"What! How'd that happen!"

"I don't know, I didn't _see_ it happen! Otherwise, I would've stopped him!"

Vanellope yelled out an apology when Sonic barely escaped getting hit and dropped his golden rings.

"Hey, watch out!" Ralph yelled. "You're heading into a portal!"

They didn't see the name of it in time before they both disappeared into the dark tunnel.

"You want me to turn around!" Vanellope yelled behind her.

"No, just keep going! Those soldiers could be following us for all we know!"

* * *

Somewhere in the station, Calhoun was cursing herself as all her suspects vanished without a trace. She didn't know what was wrong with her; she had no problem wrangling her men or shooting Cy-Bugs, but this group of criminals was really making her sweat. General Hologram was not going to be happy.

* * *

Vanellope and Ralph didn't know where they had ended up. The car's headlights shined brightly against the nighttime cityscape they were driving through. Vanellope clutched her steering wheel tightly, a little scared of what might jump out at them. Ralph kept a look out for any sign of life. They didn't see anything so far.

"Ralph, I'm scared," the little girl whimpered.

He knew she was being serious because she said his real name and not a nickname. Ralph messed her hair up with one of his fingers.

"It's okay, kid. Once we find out what game this is, we'll know what we're up against."

As if on cue, the theme song for the game began to play on hidden loudspeakers.

_Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!_

_Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!  
_

_Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!  
_

_Heroes in a half-shell!  
_

_Turtle power!  
_


	6. From Enemy to Ally, and Vice Versa

_I'm gonna go ahead and apologize if any TMNT characters seem OOC, it's because I'm going by memory, Wikipedia, and Youtube for those parts. I do love them though :) And thanks for all the reviews thus far!_

* * *

**That Little Game Called Life**

**Chapter Six**

Felix rubbed his head where he had landed on the ground...or sand rather. The sun was shining brightly here so that gave Felix some relief. At least they hadn't ended up in some scary dark place. He didn't have time to study his surroundings because a certain pissed off racer had suddenly jumped him. Felix had never been in a fist-fight before so he wasn't sure if he could hold up very long. As mad, as _outraged_ as he was that his marriage didn't exist in his wife's mind, he still couldn't bring himself to commit a violent act.

Turbo on the other hand had commited _several_ violent acts in his life and he had no problem trying to punch Felix again, who was doing a pretty good job blocking him. He managed to kick his attacker off and bounced backwards to a safer distance.

"Come on, Fix-It, you know you want to punch me!" Turbo was taunting. "Everybody around here seems to, so you might as well take advantage of being first in line!"

"Calm down! I'm not fighting you."

"Why the hell not! I ruined your life, what more reason do you need!"

If Felix didn't know any better, he would think that Turbo was _wanting_ to get punched. It was a bizarre thought but it wasn't too far from the truth. That comment he had made about Rosie had really hurt and a good punch in the face is what he needed to get his mind off it, crazy as it sounded.

Felix straightened his hat. "I have plenty of reasons to beat your face to pulp, but I won't," he said decidedly. "It won't solve anything. It won't bring Tamora's memories back. All it would do is give you a bloody nose and me a broke hand."

Turbo stared at him as if he had started speaking Q*bert-ese. "You realize you can punch me, break your hand, and then heal it right? Stop bringing sense into this! I'm trying to be pissed off here and you're ruining the moment."

"You're unbelievable, you know that! You have the gall to take something precious from me, when I've done absolutely nothing to you, and you're standing there trying to make it all about yourself as usual!"

"For the millionth time, that crazy general over there told me to do it!"

"_Why_ would he tell you to do something like that?" Felix asked in exasperation. "And even if it is true, why would my marriage be of any concern to him?"

Turbo was at his wits' end. "Because he wants to enforce military rule across the arcade, keep everyone from game-jumping _permanently, _and kill off all the saps that don't have a home game anymore!" he blurted out in one breath. "He knew the soldiers wouldn't do it unless they had no memory of being friends with anyone outside their game! That unfortuantely includes _you_, lover boy."

Felix stayed quiet for a while, letting this outburst sink in. It sounded too crazy to _not_ be true, but then again this was Turbo he was talking to. Everything that came out of his mouth sounded crazy.

"Okay," Felix began, calming down a bit. "I'm not sure if I believe that or not but I'll keep it in mind."

Turbo rolled his eyes, wishing for a wall to beat his head against. Some people just couldn't be convinced of anything.

"If you're not gonna punch me, I'm outta here," he said, pointing a thumb behind him towards the environment they had yet to fully notice. "Whether you believe me or not, those soldiers are going to search every inch of every console in this arcade looking for me, you, and every other stray cat roaming around that doesn't belong where they are supposed to. And I personally would prefer to be far away from them when they decide to waltz through that portal."

Turbo turned around and started walking off. A desert landscape greeted him, dotted with cacti and the occasional tumbleweed rolling about. The sky above hadn't a cloud in it but the sun was beating down brightly. He assumed this was a western-themed game. Yee-haw. Hopefully the horses didn't breathe fire, if there were any around.

The racer stopped after a few yards and turned back to look at Felix. The little guy was sitting in the sand looking pretty pitiful. More than likely he was thinking about his wife. Turbo sighed. He knew Felix had been right earlier. If anybody had ever messed with Rosie in a similar manner, he would've killed them. Felix hadn't even been able to throw a punch at him when he rightfully deserved it. Perhaps that made him the better man of the two. Turbo hated to admit it but he found himself respecting the guy for that.

He muttered a curse under his breath when he realized he couldn't just leave Felix there alone in his thoughts. Turbo knew how that could drive you crazy, not having something to distract you from them.

"Well!" he called out. "You coming along or not?"

Felix picked his head up. He _had_ been thinking about his wife, about all the things they had done together since they met and how Tamora couldn't enjoy the memories with him. How was he ever going to fix this? He doubted his hammer could do _that_ much magic. And now with the soldiers seemingly hunting them down, the hope that she would ever go back to normal seemed a hopeless dream.

"Coming along?" he repeated.

"You been following me around all day, you might as well keep doing it." Turbo paused for a second. "And...maybe we can find some people to help fix this mess I got us in."

A small smile formed on Felix's face and he hopped up, bouncing forward to where Turbo was at. "Thanks, Turbo. I knew you couldn't be fully heartless."

"Hold up, this isn't an invitation to get chummy," he said, even though if he had to be honest with himself it was kinda nice having someone to talk to, even if it was with a total dork like Felix. "Besides, I need you to heal me in the event I get injured," he added flippantly.

Turbo patted his new travel buddy on the back and then kept walking forward. Felix hopped along after him.

"Where are we anyway?" Felix asked, looking around at the scenery.

"Beats me. Looks like some cowboy game."

"Well, you did say you were going to choose the next vacation spot so here we are."

Turbo looked down at him and laughed. "Hey, you're catching on, Fix-It. Maybe you're not so lame after all."

* * *

"Ninja turtles?" Vanellope asked with a toothy smile. She had stopped being scared and became more intrigued. "What kind of game is_ that_? That sounds crazy cool!"

"No-no-no, this isn't good," Ralph was fretting, looking around nervously. "We've gotta get outta here!"

"Why, what's so bad about turtles with ninja skills? They sound super-duper!"

Ralph picked her up and made her face him. "You don't understand. This game...no one ever goes in it. Nobody's _allowed_ to go in it. These guys are hardcore about staying 'in character' for their game. They've never even come outside their portal. No one knows anything about them. When they first got plugged in, they told the Surge Protector that no one was allowed to come in to visit or even welcome them to the arcade."

"Wow, so it's like a big secret, huh?" Vanellope pondered. Then she got excited again. "That makes it even cooler! It's like a members-only club!"

"No, it's not!" he insisted, looking around for danger as he spoke.

"Yes, it is! I want to be the first person in the arcade to see a real live ninja turtle!" She had a determined look on her face as she spoke. "As President of Sugar Rush, I, Vanellope von Schweetz, hereby declare a royal mission to seek out these elusive turtles and befriend them!"

Ralph rubbed his eyes in exhaustion. "Look, kid, I hate to break it to you but-"

He stopped when he heard something in the alley way. Vanellope jumped up and down in her seat, hoping a turtle would appear. Her bubble was burst when some ordinary looking ninjas appeared.

"Aw man, those are just lame-o ninjas," she whined. "What's so special about those?"

The members of the Foot Clan heard her and turned to look in their direction. Ralph held his breath, hoping that they would simply go away and back into the shadows from whence they came. His hopes were dashed when they ran towards them instead.

"Vanellope, stay in the car!"

Ralph knew he had to protect her from getting hurt. He would never forgive himself if anything happened to her, especially since it was his idea that she keep driving and not turn around like she has asked. Fists ready, Ralph bolted ahead of the car, swinging forcefully at the Foot Soldiers as they swarmed the road. The ninjas went flying in different directions as they were pummeled, and the wrecker quickly realized that he was dealing with _robots_. Robot ninja soldiers, that was a new one for him.

Vanellope was cheering from her seat, doing her own little fist punches and kicks as she did so. This was just as fun as going to the matches at _Street Fighter II_ in her opinion. She was so caught up in watching the action that she failed to notice that some ninjas had snuck up behind her and began to lift the kart up off the ground.

"Hey, what are you doing!" she shrieked as she went up in the air. "Put my kart down!"

Apparently they didn't care about what the president decreed so she glitched herself out of the kart to prevent being kidnapped. The ninjas ran off much to her despair, taking her beloved car with them.

"Ralph, Ralph, they took my kart! Buncha crumbsnatchers!"

Ralph was still busy throwing the soldiers around to do anything to help her out. No matter how many he thought he had defeated, they just kept coming in ongoing waves. He was thinking he was going to be fighting forever when suddenly the manhole cover a few yards away blew open into the air and four man-sized turtles wearing masks and wielding weapons burst onto the scene.

"Cowabunga!" the one wearing orange cried out, kicking a few soldiers out of his way.

His brothers were quick to dispatch the remaining soldiers, many of them running off in defeat. Ralph was out of breath. Vanellope was randomly glitching about in her excitement. The arrival of the turtles had been enough to distract her from the fact she had been robbed.

"That was the best fight ever!"

Ralph picked up the miniature racer and placed her on his shoulder. The turtles' arrival had been most appreciated, sure, but now he was worried that they would kick them out of the game or punish them in some gruesome ninja way.

He held his hands in front of him in a peaceful manner. "We're sorry we came into your game, Turtles, but we were being chased and just randomly ended up in here. Please don't kill us."

The turtles looked at one another and much to Ralph's surprise burst out laughing. Vanellope even snickered some from her place on the wrecker's shoulder.

"We're not going to kill anyone," the one in blue responded kindly.

"Yeah, that would be totally uncool of us," the orange one added.

"My name is Leonardo," the first turtle introduced himself. He patted the orange one on the back of his shell. "This is my brother Michelangelo. The one in red is Raphael and the purple guy is Donatello."

Vanellope spoke up before Ralph could stop her. "I'm President Vanellope von Schweetz of _Sugar Rush_. Mr. Bricks-for-Brains here is my personal bodyguard and lackey, Wreck-It Ralph."

Raphael grabbed Leonardo by the shoulder and started muttering in his ear. "We can't let them stay here! Tell them to leave!"

"Oh, Raph, don't be so ornery," Donatello chided his brother, who had overheard. "How did you come to be here anyway?"

"Well, we _had_ a car," Ralph explained. "But those robot guys stole it."

"It's _my_ car," Vanellope said proudly. "It's the best race car ever!"

"Whoa, you have your own car, kiddo?" Michelangelo asked. "That's super awesome, little dudette!"

"You said someone was chasing you?" Leonardo asked, remembering what Ralph had said earlier. "Is something going on in the arcade?"

"It's a really long story," Ralph sighed. "Some soldiers from another game went all screwy and started attacking us for no reason."

"Hmm. Maybe you should come down to our home for a while and talk to Master Splinter. Maybe he can help."

Raphael was not happy. "No way!" he objected. "I say we get their car for them and tell them to be on their way!"

"Raph, if something is going bad in the arcade, we need to know about it," Leonardo explained to him. "I know it's against our rules but this could potentially affect us."

The hot-headed brother crossed his arms angrily. "All right, fine," he muttered. "So long as they don't overstay their welcome like that other one."

"Other one?" Ralph asked.

Mikey threw a hand over Raphael's face to shut him up. "Oh, he's just talking crazy, he does that sometimes._ Right_, Raph?"

"Mmmph-mmmph!" he tried to yell in a mumbled voice.

* * *

Q*bert, the noodle-nosed orange fellow who had been homeless practically his entire existence, was walking through his neighborhood that Felix and Ralph had built for others in his same predicament. The day he had been invited to live behind the Niceland Penthouse had the been the best day of his life. Having a place to call "home" after years of residing in the Game Central Station begging for food and shelter made him appreciate what he had even more. Q*bert squawked a greeting at Aiai the monkey that lived across the street from him and he waved back. Dig Dug was busy digging around in his yard to plant flowers. The knight from _Joust_ was riding his ostrich around the perimeter of the game, pausing every so often to let the feathered steed rest. Officer Bob from_ A.P.B._ was hanging out with the various other guys from his own game in his front yard.

There were many others that lived there as well, but not all the homeless ones of the arcade had found their way to the little neighborhood yet. Several had taken up residence inside other games, whether in secret or because someone offered them to live there. The only true vagabond left was Paperboy, who preferred to hang around the Station for the latest news he could use for his paper.

Speaking of Paperboy, he had bust in earlier screaming that Turbo was back and Felix was trying to apprehend him, the two flying into _Sugar Rush_. Everyone had panicked, worrying that Felix would hurt himself, but Gene managed to defuse the situation saying that if Felix could survive being surrounded by Cy-Bugs everyday when he went to visit Hero's Duty then he very well could handle himself with a power-hungry racer. Besides, like Turbo could get away with doing anything now that everyone knew he was alive..._again_.

Q*bert was crossing his yard and about to head into the house that he shared with his friends when the Nicelanders appeared bringing their parade of pies with them. The short blocky folks had been so kind and friendly to them all since allowing them to appear in a "new" Bonus Level in the _Fix-It Felix, Jr._ game. Q*bert wished he could express his thanks in their own language.

Mary, the Nicelander who made all the desserts, was just about to hand her pie over to the guys from _A.P.B. _when they all heard the sound of heavy footsteps coming from the portal tunnel. This was unusual because most people used the little cart-train to enter. They were all surprised to see a trio of _Hero's Duty_ soldiers enter. One soldier stayed put at the portal entrance/exit while the other two started walking towards the little neighborhood.

"Oh, no!" Deanna, another Nicelander, gasped. "Something must have happened to Felix! They wouldn't be here if it hadn't!"

Everyone murmured amongst themselves about what might have happened to warrant a visit from Felix's wife's platoon. In fact, how come Calhoun wasn't the one that was bringing the dreaded news? When Don mentioned that fact, everyone started thinking that something had happened to _both_ of them. Gene whistled loudly to get everyone's attention.

"Calm down, everyone, I'm sure Felix is fine!" he announced loud enough for everyone to hear. He wasn't sure if he believed himself though.

The soldiers arrived, their large statures overwhelming all of the much shorter people in the console. Everyone stayed quiet as they waited for one of them to say something. Finally, one of them, named Spock, stepped forward.

"Who here are actual residents of this game?"

They were a little shocked at the question.

"We are _all _residents here," Gene responded with his arms crossed in front of him. "Everyone you see here is part of this world."

"Let me ask a different way. Who is _officially_ a part of the _Fix-It Felix, Jr._ game?"

The other soldier nudged Spock. "The little weird short people with the pies. That's what General Hologram said."

"Weird short people?" Gene repeated in an angry tone. "I don't know who you think you are, but you can't come in here and just-"

"Silence, mustache!" Spock barked. "I need all you Fix-It people to stand back. We are here on official business."

That's when the madness started. Before anyone had any clue what was going on, the second soldier had fired a gun into the distance, one that contained a net. It quickly trapped the ostrich-riding knight in a tangled mess, preventing him from going anywhere. The ostrich squawked in panic, kicking its huge legs in attempts to break loose but only tangling itself up further.

"What are you doing!" Mary screamed, trying to rush forward to help only to pulled back by Don, who shook his head at her.

"If you are going to resist, you are part of the problem," Spock informed her gruffly, who fired his own net at the group of penthouse dwellers.

"Hey, what's going on! Let us out!"

"You can't do this to us!"

"Just wait 'til Ralph and Felix get back!"

Aiai was attempting to jump along the rooftops when he got caught. Dig Dug was busy digging a hole for himself but the soldier reached in to pull him out just in time to throw him into a sack. Q*bert was bleeping about in panic to warn his comrades what was going on outside but it was no use. He got caught too along with Coily and the others. The _A.P.B._ guys tried to put up a fight with the guy blocking the portal to no avail. It was only a matter of time before everyone was captured.

The only soldier who remained was the one blocking the tunnel. The Nicelanders were eventually released but forced at gunpoint to return to their homes. They all knew that they couldn't die in their own game but the bullet would still hurt and regeneration would be painful for them.

The prisoners were then dragged out into Game Central Station where a huge futuristic bus-type vehicle awaited them. The guards roughly through them inside. Q*bert glanced around the strangely empty station...he'd never in all his years seen it like that. The only people he could see were more soldiers walking about, some of them posted at other portal entrances. The Surge Protector, who had always been very friendly to Q*bert, was talking to one group of men.

"Hey, now, what is the hullabaloo here!" the security officer asked in a loud voice as he saw what was going on at _Fix-It Felix, Jr. _"I thought you boys said you were trying to find Turbo! These guys are most certainly _not_ him!"

"Can it, baldy," a soldier with the name of Kirk sneered at him. "We're under orders here. General Hologram says these hoarders gotta go before they start crashing games."

"Hoarders? These fellows have been around for _ages_!" Surge Protector was saying in their defense. "They've never done any harm!"

"They haven't _yet_," Kirk pointed out to him. "Who's to say they won't do the same thing that Turbo guy did once?"

"That guy is an isolated incident in himself," Surge Protector claimed. "Nobody else has ever dared try what he did."

"Look, pal, if you ain't gonna help us then I suggest you just stand back. If you see the racer, you let us know, you hear?"

Kirk wasn't asking nicely; it sounded more like a threat. Surge Protector gazed sadly at the group of imprisoned residents from Felix's game. As a hologram, he could hardly do anything to stop them. He had never felt so useless before.

* * *

_Q*bert is the property of Gottlieb. Aiai is from Super Monkey Ball was developed by Amusement Vision and published by Sega. Dig Dug is from Namco. A.P.B. is by Atari. Joust is by Williams Electronics. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game is by Konami. _


	7. Big Girls Don't Cry (Sometimes)

**That Little Game Called Life**

**Chapter Seven**

Ralph thought the sewers made for a miserable living situation but then again he wasn't a mutant or a reptile so he couldn't really say anything. The turtles probably would not have liked living in a brick pile or a penthouse for all he knew. Vanellope was skipping along ahead of them, glitching as she did so to go faster.

"How is she able to teleport?" Donatello asked at one point.

Ralph didn't feel like going into details about her being a former glitch in her own game. "It's just her special super power," he said instead.

"Huh. Interesting. I wish I could take a look at the programming but that would require leaving the console."

"I think it's pretty rad!" Mikey declared. "I wish I could just zip around...sure would make getting pizza a lot faster!"

"You and your stomach," Raphael joked, who had started to not be as upset as he was earlier.

They finally made it to the turtles' home, which was more like a sewer cave to Ralph. It was pretty cramped for him to squeeze inside their living room. At least they had a couch, he had to admit, which was more than what he had when living in the brick pile.

He was surprised to see that their mentor, Master Splinter, was not another turtle but an anthropomorphic rat. Splinter himself was shocked to see visitors in their home but the turtles quickly explained what had happened. Ralph further explained what was going on with the _Hero's Duty_ soldiers running amuk, with some interjecting by Vanellope of course. Splinter sat in silence as everyone talked, letting the rush of information soak in.

"What you are telling me is that Turbo is back from the dead and has supposedly rearranged some coding in this _Hero's Duty_ game?" Splinter summarized after hearing what they all had to say. "And that is what could be causing them to act differently from their usual state?"

"Yes," Ralph answered. "We don't know why or what his purpose in this was, but he said himself that he was responsible. And some nonsense about the General of the game making him do it, but that's probably just him lying some more."

"Anything is possible," Splinter said wisely. He motioned for Mikey to come to him. "Go fetch the girl and bring her here. I believe that this is something she should hear."

Ralph and Vanellope exchanged confused glances. Girl?

Splinter noticed.

"We've been sheltering an outsider for some time now," he told them. "I am aware that it is breaking our self-made laws, but I felt that she was troubled and needed a place where she could ease her mind. She's done very well here with us. No one knows she is here except for that holographic blue security officer in the Station. She wanted it to be kept that way and we have obliged...until now."

* * *

Michelangelo entered the workout room that he and his brothers used on occassion. He could hear her using the punching bag in the room. The normally energetic turtle sighed. He didn't like the idea of the girl getting hurt again. She had been through so much and had been for the most part happy living there with them like an extended family. It was hard to believe she had been there with them for the better part of two decades. She was like a sister to them now.

"Hey, Rosie!" he called out in his usual peppy voice. "Got a sec?"

The teenager turned around, her long red hair swinging as she did so. A friendly smile spread across her pretty face, her green eyes shining bright. Rosie had been doing well these last few years being out of society's eyes. If she had to hear one more ugly comment from someone about what Turbo had done back in 1987 she would have really gone crazy. She had to struggle to remember all the good times in their four-year relationship, think of him as the champ he used to be and not the murderer that everybody liked to talk about. The turtles had saved her from a never-ending life of booze and depression. Sure, living in the sewers was a far cry from her old life consisting of parties, sporting events, and of course a love life, but she couldn't ever get that back.

When her own game _Slam Dunk!_ had been unplugged in 1992, she had gone to live with her co-cheerleaders at _Street Fighter II_, where she learned a few fighting moves from Chun-Li. Seeing as how she was already a skilled gymnast, this wasn't too much of a stretch forward. Afterwards, she snuck off to live with the turtles. She'd never forget the day she had "proved her worth" by doing an impressive flip-kick on Raphael, who had been so humiliated at being kicked by a girl that he'd held a grudge for a while.

"Hey, Mikey!" Rosie returned the greeting. "How's it going, homey?"

She grabbed her towel to wipe her face down and skipped over to her "brother". They exchanged a little handshake that they'd come up with one day just goofing off.

"Sorry to interrupt the extreme workout," Michelangelo apologized, trying to act normal, "but the master kinda wants you to go talk to him. He sounded pretty serious."

"Oh, sure! Let me rinse off real quick, then we'll go." Rosie thought of Splinter as a father, just like the turtles did. He had been nothing but kind to her since her arrival and was a great person to talk to about mental troubles. She'd be the first to admit she'd shed many a tear on his shoulder.

After taking a quick shower, she changed into her everyday attire of pastel yellow tee shirt (it was more comfortable than her old cheer top), her pink and yellow old-school cheer skirt from her game days, and little white shoes with ankle socks. Back then, she'd always worn her hair up in a ponytail but she decided the last few years that she liked it down better. Made her look a little older than eighteen, she thought.

"Geez, Mikey, you're being so uncharacteristically quiet! Did you switch costumes with Don or something?" she kidded, elbowing him in the side in jest.

Michelangelo sighed. "Okay, here's the deal," he said. "Master Splinter's going to tell you some news and you may or may not like it. I'm just preparing you is all."

* * *

The young former cheerleader stared at Splinter for a long time after he'd told her the news. She couldn't believe it. How could she? It was impossible.

_"He's alive."_

That was all he said. He didn't need to say anything else.

Turbo was alive? How could that even be? Everyone had seen him go inside_ TurboTime_ after causing _RoadBlasters_ to be unplugged and nobody had seen him come out in time for his own unplugging. How had he managed to escape? How had he avoided being discovered all these years?

The first thing that came to Rosie's mind when she heard the news that her old boyfriend was not quite as dead as they all thought was naturally confusion. Then she thought Splinter was joking with her. Splinter didn't joke around though, so that couldn't be right. Once that realization hit her, she was momentarily thrilled. Exalted even. She even forgot to wonder about why the heck Wreck-It Ralph was there in their living room.

Rosie had come to the conclusion years ago that she'd always be in love with "her champ", no matter what crazy stunt he'd pulled that horrific day. She had wished on more than one occasion that he was still alive and that this whole nightmare could be erased, that they could just be together and be happy like they used to be. It was a silly wish, perhaps childish, but it was a nice thought. She knew realistically if he were ever turn up alive he wouldn't be the same. _She _wasn't even the same.

_He's alive._ All these years he'd been alive and nobody ever knew about it.

All these years...he'd been alive and _she_ never knew.

She frowned as the reality of the situation hit her.

All these years...he'd never once tried to see her.

As quickly as she had grown happier than she'd been in a long time, she just as quickly deflated. It was the worst feeling she'd felt since the day he "died".

"Oh my God," Rosie whispered, tears welling in her eyes. "He hates me."

That's all she said before busting out of the room, down through the sewers and through her secret passage she used to get to her little bedroom, crying the whole way there.

* * *

"Well, that didn't go over like I hoped it would," Leonard noted sadly after the girl ran out of the room.

"Who _was_ that?" Vanellope asked.

"_That_," Ralph began, hardly believing what he'd seen himself, "was Turbo's old girlfriend."

Her eyes bugged out. "He had a _girlfriend_? Someone actually _liked_ him that much?"

Something clicked in her head and suddenly she understood something about her former nemesis.

_He said his favorite color was red. That's what color her hair is._

"That's what he was talking about," she said quietly. "That's why he got sad when he answered my question."

"What are you babbling about, shortstuff?"

Vanellope ignored him and without any warning or explanation whatsoever, she quickly glitch-ran out of the room and into the sewers where she teleported herself wherever she could go into until she randomly happened into Rosie's room. Rosie was currently on the bed, curled up in fetal position facing towards the wall and hugging a pillow, noticeably crying. She hadn't heard Vanellope come in, obviously, since she had not used a door to enter and thus not made any noise.

The decor was a stark contrast to the rest of the game, a pretty big clue that it didn't belong there originally. There was pink everywhere with splashes of yellow, just like the teen's outfit, with a small vanity table on the opposite side of the bed. The wall had a few game posters on it, including _Street Fighter _individual character sheets and one of her home game and even one of _TurboTime_ with a signature and the phrase "Happy anniversary from your champ xoxo" on it. That had been mostly an inside joke to her on her first anniversary of _Slam Dunk!_.

Vanellope tiptoed over to the vanity and saw little things like ticket stubs, pom poms, some peppermints in a dish, some hair products, but the thing the stuck out the most was the little framed picture. It looked like it was taken at the finish line of what Vanellope assumed was at _TurboTime_, with both Turbo and Rosie in the picture. Judging by the confetti and trophy, he had just won another race and was cradling his girlfriend in both arms and trying to hold the trophy handle in one hand at the same time. Rosie's eyes had closed as she had been laughing about something crazy Turbo had just said and he was giving her this adoring look that Vanellope had seen Felix give to Calhoun many times before.

"Miss Rosie?"

"Ahh!" she flipped over from her position on the bed, putting a hand to her chest. "Geez, kiddo, you trying to scare me to death? How'd you get in here?"

"I can walk through walls," she replied matter-of-factly. "So you're Turbo's girlfriend?"

Rosie sighed, wiping the tears from her face. "More like _was_. I thought he was dead. Jerk." She grabbed a tissue and blew her nose. "I can't believe he's been fine this whole time while I've been sitting around trying to keep my sanity. He had to have known I'd be upset when his game got unplugged."

She started crying again.

"He could have at least came by my old home and said he was okay, give me peace of mind. I thought he would have cared at least that much but apparently not." She buried her face back into her pillow. "I'm such a stupid baby."

Vanellope frowned sadly. "Maybe he thought you'd be mad at him for crashing that road-blasty game."

Rosie considered that, looking back at her guest. "Maybe. I was only mad for a second though. I knew he was upset about the possibility of getting unplugged due to lack of players, but I never _dreamed_ he'd try to actively crash a rival game to prevent it from happening. He acted so_ crazy_ that last week I saw him. It was like talking to a different person sometimes."

She winced at the horrible memory of that last night she saw him, the night of his tenth anniversary party, the night he'd gone nuts on that creep Teddy and then trashed all his Trophy Rooms in the house, the last words he'd ever said to her ringing in her ears: "_DAMN IT! I SAID LEAVE ME ALONE!_".

She grabbed another tissue. "He said he hated himself, can you believe that? Who says things like that? Then he wanted _me _to hate him, but I just couldn't do it. I could never hate him."

"You still love him, huh?"

Rosie smiled sadly at the floor. "Yeah," she had to admit. "Crazy as that sounds. You don't get over feelings like that even when they act like jerks to you."

She rested her face in her hands. "I'm hopeless. Clinging to memories of days gone by and he's off gallivanting around like he doesn't give a shi...crap," she corrected at the last second, remembering she was talking to a little kid.

Vanellope didn't know what to say to that. If this romance stuff was going to be this painful to deal with, she wasn't sure if she wanted to try this boyfriend thing for herself. Obviously, Turbo had loved her at some point so she couldn't understand why he would let this poor girl suffer all these years thinking he was dead.

He really _was _a doodie-head.

"So what kind of game are you from?" Rosie asked, wanting to change the subject. "In case you can't tell, I was a cheerleader in a basketball game."

"I'm president of _Sugar Rush_," Vanellope said proudly, hopping on the bed to lay on her stomach, head propped up with her hands. "It's a candy-themed racing game. My name's Vanellope von Schweetz."

Rosie's eyes got big. "Oh...oh crap."

The main reason she had left her first surrogate home at _Street Fighter II_ was because of _Sugar_ _Rush_'s arrival. It had been the first racing game Litwak bought after...the "going Turbo" incident. He had thought of racing games as a jinx for a long while but took a chance on _Sugar Rush_. Just the idea of having another racing game around had made Rosie so upset that she left to go live with the ever-secretive Turtles.

"Please tell me Turbo didn't crash your game," she blurted out. "I'm really sorry if he did."

"No, he didn't," Vanellope was quick to say. "Though he did kinda...steal my castle."

"He..._what_?"

Vanellope was getting nervous. She felt bad telling Rosie more of Turbo's miscreant behavior, since it bothered her so much. "Let's just say he was the king for a while."

"King? He was playing _king_ this whole time?!" _Figures, he always was a show-off_. _Unbelievable. I oughta slug the shit out of him. How dare he! _

"But then Ralph burnt him up in the volcano so I got my castle back."

"_Volcano_?!" the teen shrieked unexpectedly. She regretted wanting to slug him now...sort of. "Holy Konami, is he okay?"

"Don't worry, that was months ago," Vanellope assured her with a wave of her hand. "He's fine. We're not sure how, but he came back without a scratch."

Rosie sighed in relief, closing her eyes. "I don't know why I still even care," she said softly. "_He_ obviously doesn't anymore."

To be honest, she wished she hadn't ever heard that Turbo was alive. She would have rather kept on believing he were dead than to find out otherwise and live with the idea that he didn't ever love her enough to tell her himself. It's not like he had an excuse; her home game stayed plugged in for five years after he disappeared so finding her would have been easy as pie.

"I think he does," Vanellope said in a sweet voice. "He said something that I thought was a little odd but it makes more sense now that I saw you. I asked him what his favorite color was and he got all weird on me. Then he said it was red but it wasn't because of his car. He got real sad and quiet for a long time after that. It's a long shot, but I think he was thinking about you."

Rosie got quiet for a while, dabbing her eyes dry with another tissue. She looked up at her poster of him, the one he signed for her. One of the first things he'd ever said to her was a joke about signing autographs. A hint of a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

"Yeah, he did say something similar to that once," she reminisced, playing with the ends of her hair as she talked. She remembered that day fairly well. "Champ's got a cryptic way with words sometimes. I don't think a lot of people understood what he was talking about half the time but I did. He's not one to get right to the point."

Rosie rolled over onto her back to look up at her ceiling. "What's he doing anyway? You seen him lately? I hope you punched him for usurping your castle."

Vanellope giggled. "Ralph tied him up like a pinata for us. Then we stuck him to my kart's back bumper."

Rosie laughed for the first time since she'd heard the big news. She could only imagine how pissed off that made him. Vanellope was glad she was acting so sad anymore. She decided she liked this chick, even if her taste in guys was a little screwy.

"Good job, kid," Rosie commended her, giving her a little high five. "He's not still stuck to it, is he?"

"Nah, he escaped when Felix's warped wife started chasing us. That's when me and Ralph ended up in here."

"_Fix-It_ Felix?" Rosie remembered him coming to a few of Turbo's parties. "He got married? That's nice to hear, he was always a sweetheart. Why was she chasing you?"

"Not trying to stir the pot here, but your boyfriend erased her memories. She doesn't recognize any of us and thinks we're criminals for some whack-o reason. She's a tall soldier lady with a giant gun so we didn't want to argue with her right then."

Rosie couldn't believe it. Air hissed slowly through clenched teeth as she let that settle in. "You know what, I don't even wanna know how or why he would do such a thing. I _do _know he wouldn't have appreciated someone doing that to _me_."

_He would have killed them_, she honestly thought. _He could get pretty possessive sometimes. He nearly killed Teddy that night for almost slapping me that time. Ha, maybe he really did care after all. _

She smiled as she pondered on that. She couldn't really make herself believe that Turbo never loved her in the four years they were together. He could have _easily_ made her a one-night stand like the previous girls he'd seen before meeting her.

"How'd you guys meet anyway?" Vanellope wanted to know.

"Ah, you don't want to hear that. It's kinda sappy," Rosie answered her, but she smiled some more upon remembering the day.

"It can't be any sappier than what Felix says about his wife."

"Okay, you asked for it. It was the summer of 1983..."

* * *

_Rosie belongs to me, as does anything involving the _Slam Dunk!_ game she came from. If anyone gets confused about something, let me know; Now that I've thrown Rosie in, I'm starting to drag a few things in from my previous fic and I'm trying to summarize what happened there as best as possible here without bogging it down too much. Next chapter is one that I've had a few people look forward to since the last fic, it's really long and it's mostly one big flashback except for the tail end. The chapter after that gets back to the main story. BTW I'm going out of town for a few days, will try to post at least twice while I'm gone so please be patient guys! Keep those reviews coming, they're most appreciated :)  
_


	8. Summer Nights of 1983

_Author's Note: This was actually collection of flashbacks I cut out from my other story "Going Turbo" but I chose to put it here because I thought it would be more meaningful. It's really super long so sorry if it gets tiring. And thanks to eHow and Youtube for teaching me about driving a manual transmission :)_

* * *

**That Little Game Called Life**

**Chapter Eight**

**Summer of 1983**

_Slam Dunk! _had only been plugged in for a week and already it was drawing in the crowds, including both the gamers and the other games' characters. The basketball teams were having their first after-hours tournament and everyone was excited and prepping for it. Rosie was doing some stretches in the girls' locker room, by herself as usual. Summer and Raven, the other two cheerleaders in her squad, were off somewhere flirting with the boys and chatting about gossip they had heard. They picked up news faster than Paperboy could hand it out.

The redhead pulled the back of her ponytail tighter. She then heard her two squad members come in and immediately start yakking away about how the guys looked in their shorts. Rosie had tried to be friends with the two girls but for some reason they liked ditching her and running off without her.

_I guess three really is a crowd, _she would think.

Rosie bit her lip, trying to think of something to say. "Pretty exciting having all these different people here in the gym, huh?"

"Yeah, maybe one of them will hang out with you sometime," Summer replied rudely as she did her hair for the third time today. "Hey, have you seen my barrettes?"

Rosie sighed and grabbed a pack that was sitting on the counter, handing them to her. "Here. I'm going to get some fresh air before the game starts."

* * *

Outside the gym, the sky was eternally night and little fake stars twinkled in the not-very-distant sky. The parking lot wasn't very full, seeing as how no one except racers, the guys from _A.P.B._ and a few other randoms owned cars. Thus far, the arcade only had one racing game, _TurboTime_, and its star player had just parked his red-and-white baby in a spot up front. Turbo grabbed the keys out of the ignition and hopped out, whistling his own theme song as he strolled up the sidewalk.

"Hey, Turbo!" he heard the all-too-familiar voice of Teddy behind him. Teddy was one of the twins that Turbo raced against daily, Ted being the other (and slightly nicer) one. Turbo turned around and _splat!_

Water balloon.

The twins were cracking up as their star wiped the dripping liquid off his face. Why they liked to pick on him, he'd never know. Maybe it was because they were jealous that he won all the time, during arcade hours _and_ afterwards. Turbo had given up trying to be pals with them several years ago and opted to just hang out with everyone else, throwing parties after every win and living it up to the max.

"Real mature, guys," he commented dryly as he turned back around to head into the gym. Teddy suddenly tackled him from behind, knocking the racer's keys out of his hands. Ted grabbed them and started a game of "Keep Away" with Teddy, the two of them laughing insanely. Turbo was starting to get annoyed but he had learned to just let the two have their fun until they got bored.

"Aw, you're being no fun!" Teddy whined mockingly. "Hey, Ted, watch _this_!"

Teddy suddenly threw the keys as far as he could...they landed on a gym windowsill that was close to a tall tree. The twins laughed some more and ran towards the front doors.

"See ya inside!" Ted chirped as they disappeared.

Turbo went over by the tall tree and looked up. _Way _up. He could barely see his keys glistening in the fake moonlight that lit up the parking lot in a basking glow.

"Turbo-freakin-tastic," he muttered, wiping a hand over his face in exhaustion. "This is gonna be a _great _night."

* * *

Rosie passed by two guys in what looked like purple jumpsuits laughing their heads off. She gave them a passing glance then proceeded out the front door. The fresh air felt nice compared to that locker room. She stayed there a few minutes and then something caught her eye to the far left.

Someone was trying to climb one of the trees by the gym...and "trying" was the _nice _way of saying it. The poor sap couldn't even stay on the lowest branch long enough to get any further. She could hear a bit of grumbling even from this distance. Curiosity got the best of her and she decided to go see what the story behind this was.

As she got closer, she realized with a mix of excitement and nervousness that the mysterious tree climber was none other than Turbo himself, the star of the arcade's most popular game. She had never met him until now but she had heard plenty. _Everyone _knew who Turbo was, whether it was on a personal level or not.

He hadn't seen or heard her approach as he was too preoccupied trying to get a good start on this tree business. Rosie skipped up behind him.

"Do you need some help?"

"Whoa!" he yelped, losing what grip he had on the branch.

Rosie squinted her eyes shut as he promptly fell over on his back. "Oh my gosh! I didn't mean to scare you!" she apologized quickly, standing over him with a worried expression. "Are you okay?"

"Sure, just dandy," he groaned, putting his fingers in an "A-Okay" gesture.

Turbo focused his eyes and was a bit embarrassed to see that he had let some cute chick scare him so bad.

"If you want an autograph, I only do those on Tuesdays," he said, giving her his best smile. "But I'll gladly make an exception for you."

She let out a giggle. "I just wondered if you needed help. We don't have too many people getting hung up in our trees."

"I guess I'm honored to be one of the lucky few," he replied, forcing himself to stand back up. His back creaked painfully as he straightened it. "It's kind of a silly story, but my two co-racers Bozo and Numbskull threw my keys up there." He pointed to the upper window. "Thus, I had the not-so-grand idea of climbing the tree to get to them."

"That's kinda mean." It reminded her of stuff that Summer and Raven did to her this whole past week, like hiding her scrunchie or her pom-poms.

Her face brightened. "I can get them down for you."

Turbo chuckled at that. "I doubt it, that tree is unclimbable. I don't think I need to demonstrate again."

Rosie studied the tree briefly. "How much you wanna bet?"

He considered the petite cheerleader beside him for a second. She had a lively look in her eyes that he decided he liked enough to take her seriously. Besides, he had a personal preference for redheads and there weren't that many running around for him to play with.

"Honey, you get those keys down and I'll be your personal chauffeur. Hell, I might even let you _drive_," he offered with a hint of cockiness in his smile.

She gave him a smart-assed grin of her own. "Better prepare your to eat your words, Tarzan."

It didn't take long. Rosie was programmed to be a skilled gymnast so she climbed up the tree with all the grace and speed of a cat. When she hit the ground again, she had a well-earned triumphant smile on her face, dangling his keys out for him to grab.

"You prepared yet?"

Turbo took the keys from her to stick in his pants pocket. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say I got bamboozled on the deal. You didn't tell me you were part-cat, part-monkey."

She rolled her eyes playfully. "You didn't ask. I'm Rosie, by the way."

"Turbo," he introduced himself with pride. "I'm kinda the star of _TurboTime._"

"Yeah, I _might _have heard about it somewhere," Rosie teased in good-nature. "I guess that makes you some sort of a champ."

"Ooh, she's a smart-ass too!" he laughed. Turbo loved it when he found someone that could take a joke and throw them back. "We might just get along if you keep that up."

"Good, I'd hate for you to drive someone around that you couldn't stand."

"Yeah, I guess I do owe you, don't I?" He cleared his throat. "It's a date, then. I'll pick you up tomorrow night when Litwak leaves."

"Don't pretend to lose your keys just to get out of it," she warned him, trying to reign her enthusiasm in.

"Oh, honey, trust me, I don't lose _period_," he countered back with a grin. "Besides, I can't really 'lose' them if you're just going to show up and hand them back to me right away."

Rosie gave him a look that said "ha ha very funny." She would've said something about him being a "fast" learner but that's when the band inside the gym cranked up the music. She was having so much fun she'd completely forgotten there was a game scheduled.

"Oh, the game's about to start!" She grabbed Turbo's hand to pull him along. "Come on, I can get you a good seat!"

* * *

**The Next Night**

"Rosie, you can't honestly have us believe that _the_ Turbo is coming by here to see you," Summer was saying as the three girls stood outside the dormitory. The only reason they were there was because Rosie wouldn't shut up about the guy and they wanted to see if it was true. "Besides, we've been standing here for like _ever_!"

"It's only been thirty minutes," Rosie told her, constantly keeping an eye out for her ride. "He's probably just doing some racer-y stuff and lost track of time is all."

At least she hoped that was all. If it turned out she was making a fool of herself, she would never go out in public after-hours again.

"I think you're pulling our legs," Raven accused her. "Or if you're not, then he was pulling _yours_."

A nauseated feeling formed in the pit of Rosie's stomach right before a flash of red suddenly screeched into view of the girls and halted near them in the parking lot. Summer and Raven's jaws dropped and for once they were speechless. Rosie smiled widely and turned to them.

"Told ya!" she stated chipperly before walking away, a little skip in her step. "See you later!"

The shiny red car with the large white stripe running along the side looked absolutely marvelous. The hubcaps even shone as if they had been recently polished. Turbo gave the girl a beaming smile as she trotted up.

"I _forgot _to mention an important fact." The way he said it told her that he hadn't really forgotten. "The car's kind of a one-seater, so I hope you don't mind sitting in my lap."

To be honest, he was amazed when she _didn't _slap the shit out of him. It had happened before, numerous times. The only time he seemed he could ever get any of the chicks around here to pay him any attention was when he was drunk and even those were just one-nighters he forgot about. He wasn't even sure who all had toured the inside of the bedroom, which caused him some worry if he thought about it too much.

No, this girl didn't slap him, she gave him a look back that said "I see what you did there".

"And here I was thinking you were picking me up to keep me from walking," Rosie started as she climbed in. She sat a little sideways in his lap for both comfort and so she wouldn't be blocking his view while driving, something she would be doing a lot of in the few years that followed. "I should've known coming from you there was some ulterior motive."

"_Everything _I do has an ulterior motive," Turbo promised as he shifted the car's gears to reverse to turn around, then to one of the other gears to drive forward. He noted with some delight she smelt like flowers, a rather welcome change from the gasoline and rubber scent he was used to being around.

"Sorry I'm late, the twins moved the mini-gasoline tanks from the garage to behind the house so I had to go on a wild goose hunt."

She started laughing. "At least they didn't take your keys again. Would've been embarrassing to have me be your designated key fetcher. So, does this thing go any faster or what?"

_Oh-ho, a challenging request!_ "'Does it go any faster?', she says! Ask and ye shall receive!"

* * *

Being inside a daytime setting like _TurboTime_'s was unusual for Rosie so it took a little while to adjust to the brightness. This world was a lot bigger than her own, seeing as how it housed an entire racetrack, a stadium, a car garage, and somewhere in the back was Turbo's big house with a smaller house for the twins beside it.

"Let me know if you get scared," Turbo said as he put his left arm around her, partly to help keep her stable when he hit the higher speeds and partly because he just wanted to. "I tend to go fast."

He wasn't kidding. Going 200-plus miles per hour was the most insane, scariest, thrilling thing Rosie had ever done. She especially liked going around the curves, terrifying as they were, because it gave her an excuse to grab him tighter. He didn't mind one bit; honestly, he was enjoying it as much as she was.

_What_? He was a guy, after all. What kind of guy's going to complain about a chick hanging onto him?

Turbo took advantage of her getting cozy and ran a hand down the small of her back. "You okay?" he wanted to make sure. "Wanna do donuts?"

"Donuts?"

He grinned at her confusion. "Might want to hang on," he suggested.

Rosie remained perplexed until he started making the car spin in tight circles, the front tires staying relatively in the same position while the back end rotated around. She squealed excitedly, shutting her eyes to keep from getting motion sickness and started laughing from the rush. Practically hugging him now, she ducked her head down to keep from getting dizzy.

Turbo slammed the car to a halt, having to hold onto Rosie some more to keep her from flying forward too much. She was still cracking up from the thrill she'd just had.

"Fast enough for you?" the racer inquired of his passenger.

"That was awesome!" she exclaimed happily, looking at him with those big green eyes of hers. "That's the most fun I've had since I've been here!"

"If you like riding along that much, you should try driving. Want to?" he found himself asking. Normally he wouldn't let _anyone_ touch his precious car, but he had to admit he was having a bit of fun here.

"You mean it? Seriously?"

"Sure, it's a cinch," he shrugged. "Should be as easy for you as it is for me to climb trees."

She rolled her eyes playfully. "_Well! _When you put it _that_ way."

"Don't worry, I won't let you crash. Racer's honor," he swore, crossing his heart.

Turbo motioned for Rosie to hop up a little bit so he could move back and sit on the actual car itself, behind the seat and in front of the spoiler. Having the seat to herself felt a little overwhelming at first as she looked at all the contraptions that made the car work. She hoped she didn't wreck. Dying within one week of being plugged in would be an extremely humiliating legacy.

"Okay, normally you would start the car first but I've already got it started so we'll just skip that for right now. Look down where your feet are, see those three flat things? Those are your pedals. On the left is the clutch, which you use to shift gears with. The middle one is the brake, for stopping. The right one is the accelerator, which is what makes it go. You got that?'

"Mm-hmm."

"Okay now see that stick thing? That's the shift lever. There's little numbers on it that tell you which gear you want to go in. First gear is what you start off with, then you just gradually shift into each number slot to go faster. Make sense?"

"I think so." This was more complicated than she thought it would be.

"We're probably not going past first gear so don't fret about it," he assured her. "Okay, put your left foot on the clutch pedal and press all the way down and keep it there. Now put your hand on the shift lever."

Turbo leaned over so he could put his hand over hers for this part. Rosie caught herself blushing, glad he couldn't see it from where he was sitting.

"Now, move this into the first gear," he continued, forcing the stick into position. "Don't be scared to get rough with it, sometimes these things need a little manhandling."

Again, he was surprised that she didn't slap him for being perverted, but she didn't seem to catch the innuendo. Something about having an innocent lamb to play with seemed most enticing. He let go of her hand so she could put it back on the steering wheel.

"We're moving!" Rosie said happily as the car began to slowly roll forward.

Turbo couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. They might have going slower than a crawl but she was having fun anyway and he felt pretty proud to be the one to provide that for her.

"If you want speed up, just gently let your foot off the clutch then ease _slowly_ onto the accelerator."

She did what he said and the car went a little faster. The adrenaline of being in control of this machine was positively exhilarating. They weren't even going ten miles an hour but the fact that she made it move was pretty awesome to her.

"I did it, I'm driving!" she exclaimed with a laugh.

"Not bad for your first time. Before we get to this curve up ahead, I'm gonna have you brake to a stop. It's a little more complicated but just do what I say and it'll be fine. Just put your right foot on the brake slowly."

He was watching the RPM's on the car's meter so he'd know when to tell her to do what.

"Okay, now put your left foot on the clutch and push it all the way down. Good, put your hand back on the shifter."

Again Turbo put his hand over hers to force the lever where it needed to go (neutral position), allowing himself to lightly trace along her fingers as he did so. Rosie decided she liked this hand touching stuff, her face turning red as she thought it.

"Take your foot off the clutch and put your hand back on the wheel," he continued. He talked her through the rest of the steps and eventually they came to a complete stop.

"Congratulations, you passed Driving 101!"

"Yay, I didn't wreck!"

"I told ya I wouldn't let you. I say we celebrate you not-dying with a victory drink, what you say?"

She turned her head to look up at him with a hint of mischief in her eyes. "You _do_ know I'm a minor, right?"

It was rather amusing to her that he blushed, having not even thought about her being underage. He asked just a wee bit nervously, "Uh...how old _are_ you, exactly?"

"Oh, I'm eighteen," she answered bluntly. "Scared you, huh?"

He put a hand on his heart and exhaled in relief. "_Geez_, girl, I thought you were gonna say sixteen or something! The censors would've formed an angry mob in my front yard!"

"Haha!"

"Damn, that really scared me. Now _I_ need a drink." He hopped out of the car and held a hand out to help Rosie up. "Come on, I'll see if I can scrounge up a root beer for ya. That is, if you wanted one."

"Sure," she said, using the aforementioned hand to climb out of the car. Her face burned when he gave her hand a little squeeze and gently tugged her along to follow him to the house.

"I throw frequent parties, if you'd like to come to one," Turbo not-so-subtly hinted. "I'm having one tomorrow actually. They can get a little wild, so come prepared."

"I'm living with a bunch of unsupervised similar-aged teens, I think I can handle wild."

* * *

**The NEXT Night**

_Okay, he wasn't kidding about wild_.

Seemed like everybody plus some was there in that house, or at least somewhere in the vicinity of it. It was a big house... a mini-mansion if you wanted to describe it accurately. The decor was mostly white with a splash of red for accent. A huge crystal chandelier hung in the foyer right when you walk in. A grand staircase led up to the second floor where Turbo's private domain was, such as the bedroom, Trophy Rooms (he had three only because that's all there was room for), small kitchen, etc. On the bottom floor, there was another larger room to the right of the foyer that was used as a party room, complete with a DJ station and a wet bar. That was where most everybody was right now, drinking booze like it was water and getting down on the dance floor.

In the future, Rosie would like parties enough to look forward to them, but this was her first one and she had to say she was pretty shell-shocked. She didn't have a problem cheering in front of a lot of people, but being right smack in the middle of them was a different story. It seemed like she was having to move out of people's way the entire time to avoid getting tripped on or tripping someone else. This was going pretty well until she accidentally backed up on somebody.

"Hey, watch it!" the person growled, turning around on her. Rosie recognized him as one of the two purple jumpsuit guys that she had passed at the game the other night when she met Turbo.

"Oh, sorry," she said sheepishly, fiddling with her fingers.

"Sorry doesn't get my beer back," he snapped, pointing at the spilled drink on the floor. His tune changed as he checked out the attractive girl in front of him. "But that's okay, you can always repay me," he said with a sly smile, the menacing tone slipping through. "I hear cheerleaders are limber. That true?"

Rosie blushed. "Um, well...um..."

Things would have escalated from bad to worse if Turbo hadn't shown up, throwing a protective arm around her and pulling her to close to him. If she hadn't been so scared, she'd have been more flustered about the sudden physical contact.

"Back off, Teddy," he demanded, glaring fiercely at his co-racer with glowing eyes. "She's with _me_."

Teddy scoffed. "What else is new? At least you got one that's sober to talk to ya for a change. Maybe she'll be whore of the month instead of the night."

"Dude!" his brother Ted whispered, not wanting Teddy to start trouble already and pulling him away from the scene. "Sorry he's drunk. Come on!"

Turbo could feel Rosie was shaking and he rubbed her arm. He felt like an idiot that he'd even left her alone to get put in that situation in the first place. If he was going to invite some decent girl over, the least he could do was keep an eye on her.

"You okay, sweetheart?" the racer asked her gently with a comforting smile. "Come on, let's bail the crowd for a few. Wanna tour upstairs?"

* * *

"I'm sorry about Teddy," Turbo apologized wholeheartedly, after they reached the upstairs hallway and away from everybody else. "His bark's usually worse than his bite."

"That's a pretty big bark," Rosie said quietly, still a little shaken from getting yelled at.

"I'll give him a refresher on his manners later if you want."

Translation: _I'm gonna punch his damn lights out once everyone leaves.  
_

"No, don't get in a fight because of me," she replied as if she read his mind.

"You didn't do anything wrong. And hey, I don't like this sad face, cheerleaders are supposed to be cheery."

He caressed her face as he said this, earning him a little smile.

"There, that's better." A devilish idea came to him. "Say, you're not ticklish are you?"

That did the trick. Rosie's eyes widened and she backed up. "Oh no, don't you dare-"

Too late. Turbo got her right in the ribcage despite her frantically pleading and trying to push him off her with no luck.

"NO, oh my gosh, stop, haha! Stop! I can't, I can't breathe! Hahaha!"

Oh, he stopped all right. Next thing Rosie knew, he had one arm around her back to pull her to him, his free hand around the back of her head, leaning her in for a kiss. Nothing fancy, just a simple kiss, but that was plenty. She relaxed into it, wrapping her arms around him to return the favor. He pulled back slowly, looking in her now dilated eyes as he did so.

"Told ya I tend to go fast," he attempted to joke, a little embarrassed at himself. "Sorry, I don't know what I got into me."

_Please don't slap me, _he added mentally. _Damn, she's hot._

_Damn shit and hell! _is what _she_ was thinking._ I could do that all day!  
_

"I think selfish intentions got into you," Rosie answered him, a rather pleased expression on her face.

Turbo chuckled at that, more than relieved she didn't get get huffy about it, and ran his hand up and down her back. "If I was going to be selfish about it, I would've done a much better job."

"Maybe you ought to be selfish more often," she suggested cockily, much to her surprise.

"You sure, little girl?" he asked in a low voice as he dared to back her up against the wall. "It's harder to put the brakes on once you get to a certain speed."

Rosie's breath hitched as she looked into his eyes which seemed to be burning right through her, her heart ramming in her chest. She realized that they were at a point of no return and a decision had to be made, and it was hers to make.

"Who said anything about using brakes?"

That's all the permission he needed.

* * *

**Present Day**

Rosie had a far-off look in her eyes as she reminisced the remainder of that night. Vanellope was staring at her impatiently. The former cheerleader had stopped talking after she mentioned the first kiss and had been staring off into space ever since.

"So what happened after the kiss?" she finally asked. "Come on, you can't just stop there!"

"Oh, we went for a ride," Rosie said somewhat dreamily, then she snapped out of her trance when she remembered who she was talking to.

"What kind of ride?"

The former cheerleader's face flushed and she rubbed the back of her neck. "Um, just another car ride, is all."

"Did he let you drive some more?"

Rosie tried to suppress a smile that was forming. "No, he...um...I decided that since he was more experienced that he better take over...for the time being."

"Why is your face red?"

"Is it?" she asked anxiously, sweat beading her forehead. She grabbed a tissue to wipe her face. "Boy, is it ever hot in here!"

"I'm fine," Vanellope shrugged.

"I'm burning up," Rosie insisted. "I, uh, think I'll go...take...a cold shower. Yeah, that'll be good. Hey, then we can go find your car, how 'bout that!"

Vanellope bounced up and down on the bed. "Yay! Hurry up, I wanna goooo!"

* * *

_We'll check up on what the boys are up to in the next installment :)_


	9. Wild West Riders

**That Little Game Called Life**

**Chapter Nine**

"Are we going in circles?" Felix asked after what felt like hours. "We should have seen _someone_ by now."

"If you're going to whine about my navigational skills, feel free to take over."

Turbo took a look around at where they had ended up. "I have to say, that rock looks suspiciously familiar. I'm so embarrassed that I can't remember what he said his name was."

Felix face-palmed himself. "I should've known better than to trust the direction sense of a guy who drives in circles for a living."

"You're getting pretty good at being snarky, Fix-It," Turbo complimented. "Hanging out with me has its benefits, it seems."

"Yeah, it's so beneficial to my well-being that I get dragged into a desert with a guy who has put two games out of business, tried to kill a nine year old, and made my wife forget about me." Felix normally wasn't a grump but this was a special circumstance.

"Okay, there's _snarky_ and then there's just plain _mean_. First, I didn't drag you here; you followed me. Second, as I keep telling you, it wasn't my idea to brainwash the missus, it was-"

"I know, _I know_, it was the _General's_ idea," Felix finished for him in an exhausted tone. "Even if you _are_ telling the truth about this 'eradicate the homeless' scheme, you could've chosen to leave my private life alone."

"All right, fine, you're right," Turbo finally confirmed Felix's belief, getting tired of this argument. He turned to face him, a serious look on his face. "I didn't have to if I didn't want to, but you know what? I _did_."

That's what Felix _wanted_ to hear but at the same time he couldn't help but be surprised.

"But _why_? What did I ever do to-"

"Because I was _jealous_!" Turbo confessed angrily, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "I was _jealous_ of you, and don't make me repeat it!"

Felix was taken aback. He hadn't expected to hear that. Turbo, who had always prided himself on being the best there was at...well,_ everything_, was actually jealous of _him_? A short pipsqueak of a guy whose weapon was a golden hammer that fixed things?

"You have everything I always wanted for my own life," the racer kept on, the anger subsiding and the sadness slipping through as he talked. "Your game's still getting business, you're still popular, you're married to a great girl."

His voice trailed into a sigh on that last one. Felix stayed quiet, focused on what he had to say.

"That's all I ever wanted," Turbo continued, looking down at the desert sand. "I'm not sure how or when I had to resort to violence and cruelty to achieve something close to that, but I did. I never really wanted to hurt anyone. I just wanted to feel the same way I used to. I wanted to relive my glory days and the only way I could do that was to ruin the ones that had it instead. Steal their happiness and make it my own. It worked for a while but it wasn't the same. Nothing could ever come close to being like it used to be.

"When I saw you had all these friends and people that loved you, I just...got pissed for lack of a better word. You never did anything to me to deserve it, just like that little powderpuff at _Sugar Rush_ didn't deserve what I did to her. I just wanted what you guys had. I wanted what I _used_ to have."

Felix didn't know what to say. He'd never seen Turbo like this, not even in the past when he was still officially a part of the arcade. This person that had been causing harm to everyone and cracking jokes every two seconds had suddenly shown a rather depressing side of him.

"It sucks being forgotten about," Turbo added, looking off in the distance. "No one out there in the real world remembers _TurboTime_. It used to be the most popular game in the arcade and now look at me. The only thing anyone _does_ remember about me is the day I 'went Turbo' as you guys like to say. It kinda hurts knowing that's the legacy I left. But it's my own fault and I have to deal with it."

He walked over to Felix and put his hands on his shoulders, a very solemn look in his eyes that Felix had never seen before.

"I'm sorry I fudged up your marriage. You were right when you said I wouldn't like it if someone did that to..." he paused, unable to say her name out loud. "To _her_. So, tell ya what, I'll do everything in my power to fix this and bring her back for you. I don't expect any thanks or pats on the back for it. I don't expect anyone to forgive me or be my pal, but if this winds up being the last thing I do before I go Game Over, I want people to know I wasn't a complete bastard."

Turbo patted Felix on the shoulder before walking back off. The handyman just stared after him, not sure what to say or if he should say anything. That speech had to be the most honest thing he'd ever heard in his life and hearing it come from Turbo of all people was pretty dang mindblowing.

_He's actually got a heart in there. My lands. _

"Okay, story hour's over," the racer quipped, trying to go back to his usual self. "Back to the mystery of where in Litwak's are we? We should've picked up a map at the visitor's center."

Felix put a smile on, feeling better about his traveling situation, and was hopping along when-

"Jimminy Jamminy, SNAKE!"

"Huh? Oof!"

Felix charged himself at Turbo to knock him out of the way of getting bit by the huge rattlesnake that had crawled by. Unfortunately, this resulted in them flying over the sand dune and, seeing as how sand has no traction, the two continued flipping over and tumbling all the way down the hill until they reached the bottom.

"What gives, Felix?" Turbo asked, spitting some sand out as he stood up. "I ask you to punch me, and you don't. Then I pour my heart out and you hit me with my back turned? I know I said I didn't expect pats on the back, but come on, that's a little ridiculous!"

Felix shook sand out of his hair before putting his hat back on. "Don't tell me you didn't see that snake up there? It was going to bite you!"

"You have got to be the _only_ person I know that acts the way they were originally programmed to." He gave him a grin to show he meant it in a nice way. "Lighten up, Midas, I'm joking with you."

"Midas?"

"You know, Midas, trust the golden-oh never mind," he dismissed with a shake of his head. "We need to upgrade you to the nineties...or at least the late eighties."

Turbo grabbed Felix's hat and turned it backwards before pushing it back down on his head. "There! You're now twenty percent cooler. Which is still only about eighty percent away from being at my level, but it'll do."

"Hey, you called me Felix earlier," the handyman realized slowly, putting his hat back on correctly.

"So? That's your name, isn't it?"

"You've been calling me 'Fix-It' all day," he pointed out.

The racer rolled his eyes but it wasn't in a sarcastic way like he usually did. "I was just being formal with you, in the smart-ass type of way. Do you get this excitable about everything?"

"You don't call Ralph 'Wreck-It'."

"That doesn't flow very well when you say it. Besides, the last time I was a smart-ass to _him,_ I melted in lava_._" He reflected on that for a moment. "Actually, I should really thank him for doing that. It got rid of that virus Teddy gave me. I should have my original awesome stats back now."

He smiled at the thought of being his original self again. It was nice to be the best there was. He kept walking through the sand and Felix hopped after him.

"Virus?" Felix asked, having never known any of this. "What are you talking about?"

"That jerk was jealous that he could hardly beat me in a race, so he pawned this universal code thing from someone," Turbo told him, recalling his last encounter with Teddy. "Remember how I kept losing all the time? That was because he tampered with my code to slow me down and it resulted in a virus. I didn't know of this until I crashed _RoadBlasters_ though. Afterwards, he...gave it to me," _after I beat the living crap out of him_, he added in his head, "and that's how I was able to get into any Code Room of any game I wanted."

Felix fiddled with his hands. "You...don't still have that code he gave you, do you?"

"Heck no, it got destroyed somewhere while I was still in _Sugar Rush_. I had to keep it written down because, believe it or not, I could never remember it." He tapped the side of his head as he said this. "So you don't have to worry about me taking over any games anymore because I honestly don't remember what order the buttons go in."

He stopped short as he thought about what he just said. "Hey...I just had an epiphany."

"Oh good grief."

"No, listen. That General Hologram guy...he was able to bring me back because that virus was the only thing that died in the volcano. He said he could see all my memories, as scary as that is." Turbo started pacing back and forth as he related all of this.

"The only thing he _doesn't_ know is that lock combination. Since I couldn't ever remember it on my own, it naturally wouldn't be part of my memories that he could see. He must think I still have it written down somewhere. _That's_ why he didn't want me dead when I escaped." He laughed a little. "That sneaky son of a bitch. Good thing I'm a sneakier one."

Felix found himself actually believing this crazy story after all. It was far-fetched but it started making some sense. "But why would he want it?" he had to ask. "So he could take over the arcade himself?"

"_Exactly_!" Turbo pounded a fist into his hand for emphasis. "This memory-erasure thing with his own soldiers was just step _one_! If that crapshoot ever got a hold of that universal code, he could easily make anyone do anything he wanted them to. It would be the ultimate brainwash."

"Oh my lands!" This was getting pretty spooky.

"_But_...he _can't...b_ecause _I _can't."

Felix was stunned, standing there imagining all the horrible things that could happen if General Hologram did what Turbo was claiming. He shuddered at the idea that he could eventually not be himself and hurt people he loved, most of all Tamora...even if she wouldn't know it was her husband hurting her at the time.

"Of course, this is just a wild guess," Turbo continued with a wave of his hand. "I could be completely wrong and maybe I'm just being delusional. Hey, do you hear that?"

The change of subject startled Felix out of his horrific daydream of a grim future and he perked his ears up. "Yeah, I do," he answered. "What is it?"

After a couple of seconds, Turbo got a huge grin on his face. "Holy hot wheels!" he exclaimed happily. "That, my blue-collared buddy, is the unmistakable sound of _engines_!"

He grabbed Felix and dragged him over the next sand dune, dropping him as soon as they reached the top. Felix dusted himself off and behold, there was what appeared to be-

"_Motorcycles_!" Turbo was completely ecstatic. "I want a red one!"

"Hold the phone!" Felix interrupted him. "You can't possibly think they're going to just let you have one! And no, before you wise off at me, you're _not_ stealing it."

"I wonder if this is a racing game?" Turbo mused. "Figures I would drag us into my comfort zone. Hey, look look!" he was pointing excitedly at the guys that were parking their bikes. "Dude, those are _cowboys!_ _Cowboys_ on _motorcycles!_"

That's when the finally noticed the big sign about ten yards to the left overlooking the little Old West style town: _Harley Davidson and the Wild West Riders._

Felix slapped his head. "Oh _yeah_! This is that new game Litwak plugged in a week ago. He said it was like a combo of racing and _Grand Theft Auto,_ whatever that is, in the Old West."

"Litwak has great taste." Turbo watched as the bikers, who were wearing long trench coats, cowboy hats, and spurred boots, all park in front of a saloon. "I'm gonna go introduce myself."

"WHAT?" Felix grabbed him as he moved forward. "Are you crazy? They look dangerous!"

Turbo pushed his hand off him. "Relax, Jumpy, these are my kinda people. Besides, do you know how long it's been since I've had a _beer?_ Too long!"

Before Felix could stop him any further, Turbo was already on his way down to the saloon. Felix contemplated following him but decided against it.

"Turbo!" he was calling him. "Turbo, get back here! You're going to get shot!"

"That's what _you're_ here for!" the racer called back without turning around. "You're my back-up, Mr. Medic."

Felix groaned, not sure what he should do. "I'm not going down there! Forget it, no sir!"

"Have it your way!"

* * *

"Hey, hey! Fellas, whatta ya know, whatta ya say?"

Every roughneck cowboy in the joint turned and stared at the strange looking guy in the old-time racing outfit burst in through the saloon's swinging doors and stroll in like he owned the place. Someone clicked their shotgun. The bartender stopped pouring beer and seemed pretty puzzled when Turbo sat himself on a stool at the bar.

The racer snapped his fingers. "Hey, barkeep, pour me a cold one, will ya? Make it nice and foamy at the top."

"Who the hell are you?" growled the man sitting in the next stool. He had long black hair that looked like it needed washing and a similar styled handlebar mustache. His beady eyes flickered as he observed this newcomer.

"Turbo's the name, racing's the game. Or it _was_ anyway. I'm a vagabond of sorts."

He received his beer and chugged it greedily, having forgotten what it tasted like. _Sugar Rush_ didn't have this sort of pleasure and he had been unable to get any during the rest of his post-_TurboTime_ life. He finished his mug and slammed it down, motioning for the bartender to refill.

"Nice rustic feel you guys got going on," Turbo commented swinging around in his stool to take a quick look at the wooden establishment, some simple chandeliers swinging from the ceiling, and a few card tables.

"Seems kinda dead in here, don't you think?"

"Dead?" the gruff man next to him asked with an edge in his voice. He made a move towards his pistol strapped to his hip. "Sonny, you ain't got any ideer about what dead is."

"Oh-ho, believe me, I do," Turbo told him, not paying attention to what the other guy was doing. "It sucks, trust me. No, what I meant was that things could be a little more lively. For a bar, it's not exactly hopping if you know what I mean. Never fear, though, I happen to be an expert at parties."

* * *

Turbo had only been gone half an hour, but Felix had been panicking the entire time. He was still at his spot on the sane dune, pacing back and forth fretting.

"What's wrong with you, Felix?" he was asking himself. "You just let him walk straight into a danger zone! Not that I could have stopped him of course, he _is_ pretty mule-headed. But I still could have tried."

He looked down at the saloon for the hundredth time, hoping Turbo would just walk back out the way he came in. He didn't.

"What is _taking_ him so long? Maybe they killed him and threw him out back. Or maybe they have him tied up and are torturing him. Ugh, why do I have to be such a good guy! I can't believe I'm even worried about him."

Felix took a breath and marched, albeit it was a timid march, down to where the saloon was. From inside, he could hear boisterous laughing, loud music, and singing...wait, singing? That didn't sound like something murderers would do, at least not the kind he knew of. More puzzled than skittish now, Felix peeked his head in through the door. He couldn't believe his eyes, though honestly he should have expected something like this would happen. Turbo _did_ have quite an influence on people.

The cowboy bikers were presently doing a line dance in the middle of the room to Brooks and Dunn's _Boot Scoot Boogie, _which was blasting from the jukebox that Felix recognized a welcome gift from _Dance Dance Revolution_. One man was swinging on a chandelier with a beer in his hand, laughing wildly. The men that weren't dancing were sitting in the sidelines of the saloon and singing along to the words.

"Felix!" Turbo, who was well on his way to being drunk, grabbed Felix by the collar to drag him to the bar. "'Tis about time you joined us! These guys are real party animals!"

"I-I can see that!" Felix sputtered, still not quite sure he was really witnessing this.

The racer practically threw Felix on top of a barstool, with the handyman having to crawl himself into a sitting position. Turbo called for another beer and shoved it towards Felix, expecting him to drink it.

"Hey, Slim Jim!" Turbo called out, motioning to the man that he had met when he first got there. "Meet my good pal, Fix-It Felix, Jr." He slapped Felix hard on the back, nearly knocking him off the stool.

Slim Jim, who was actually a pleasant laid-back guy, laughed and grabbed Felix's little hand in his big one to shake. All the bikers were much taller than him, not as tall as the soldiers at _Hero's Duty _though_,_ so it was a pretty rough handshake.

"Your pardner here is crazier than a mad fox," Slim Jim said, guzzling the rest of his beer he had. "I thought he was a _little_ screwy at first but any feller that drinks this much's gotta be alright, I reckon!"

Felix glanced over at his friend...if he could call Turbo that...who was already whistling for another round of beer. For a second, he was reminded of the old days when Turbo had all those parties at his house or even at _Tapper'_s. Everywhere he went, it was like a big celebration for him. It was a strangely nostalgic feeling.

"Hey, I know this song! They played it at my anniversary party! Cut loose, footloose! Come on, Felix, sing it with me!"

What was meant to be a light punch in the arm sent Felix flying off his barstool. Slim Jim caught him before hitting the floor and placed him back, laughing as he did so. Felix was quite out of his zone here and was a bit mindboggled at his surroundings.

"Hey, don't be wastin' a good buzz!" Turbo chided him, clanging his now empty mug against Felix's still full one. "Drink up! Jack, get back!"

He was going to playfully swing at Felix again but he learned his lesson the first time and ducked down.

"I don't drink!" he argued as he straightened back up.

"Please, Louise! Aw come on, Ix-Fit, don't be such a goody-shoo-twos," the racer slightly slurred as he talked. "Rosie was underage and we'd do this _all the time_!"

And just like, he shut up. He actually said it, he said her name out loud. He hadn't done that since...

"Turbo?" Felix asked in a concerned manner. "Hey, you all right?"

"Forget it," Turbo said quietly, staring off into his drink. "Forget I said anything."

He slid down off his seat and slowly walked out of the saloon, pausing to give some people half-hearted high-fives as he did so. Felix should have been used to Turbo's mood swings by now, but he still managed to surprise him. The young lad hopped off his own stool and zig-zagged his way around the still dancing cowboy-bikers to head outside.

* * *

_Dedicated to InvaderLuver, if you're reading this, due to that crazy mini-PM conversation we had a while back :)_

_Harley Davidson belongs to itself. I made the game up though. In case I forgot to mention, Dance Dance Revolution belongs to Konami and Tapper belongs to Billy Midway. Any random Mario reference I use, Mario belongs to Nintendo. Boot Scoot Boogie is by Brooks and Dunn and Footloose is by Kenny Loggins._


	10. You've Got a Friend in Me

**That Little Game Called Life**

**Chapter Ten**

"General Hologram?"

The General heard Calhoun call for him and made himself visible to her in the Meeting Room. He noticed she looked tired and worn out from the events in the day. Not that he cared or even had the ability to care. He was only a hologram after all.

**How goes the search, Sergeant? **

"That's what I wanted to discuss with you, sir. I do not believe the team is cut out for this sort of work," she admitted to him, secretly hating that she had to do so. "This job is proving to be more difficult than herding Cy-Bugs into pet of the other console's occupants are revolting against us. It is getting to where we have to threaten to kill their homeless friends in front of them for them to back down."

**And you do not approve.**

Calhoun took a deep breath in. "I don't mean to be disrespectful, but the answer is no. I don't approve, sir. I don't like pointing my gun at unarmed citizens and forcing them to leave their homes."

**They do not HAVE a home! **General Hologram shouted, causing the sarge to wince. **They can not be considered citizens of this arcade if they do not have a true home! I need you and your team to understand that! You are not forcing anyone to leave their homes because they simply do not have one anymore. They were destroyed upon being unplugged. I do not want to hear any more sniveling from you, Sergeant, or I might just have to demote you to Kitchen Duty! Now you get out there and do your job and find those people! IS THAT CLEAR?!**

The holographic form of the General wavered slightly as he released his anger. He watched as the young sergeant dipped her head down and then turned on her heel to walk back out the door.

_They may not have their memories but they still feel...compassion for these people. I underestimated their minds, _he thought to himself. _If you want something done right, you must do it yourself. I should have had that fool racer hand over his console-wide combination lock, if he even had it on his person. Then I could have forced the true citizens to do the dirty work for my soldiers and hand over the homeless ones themselves. Everyone would comply to the rules and all this would be unnecessary. _

_I should have never let that little fool escape. No one has seen him in quite some time. I have made far too many mistakes. However, I have learned from them. I MUST be perfect. Nothing else will satisfy me. _

* * *

Felix didn't have to look far to find Turbo. He was sitting on the steps to the saloon looking down at the ground with his head resting in his hands. Felix almost didn't want to go up to him, not knowing how he'd react but he went and sat by him anyway. Turbo didn't say anything, just sat there. It was rather out of character of him, at least to Felix it was.

"You're still in love with her, aren't you?" he finally dared ask. He had suspected as much when he got himself punched in the face for that comment back at the portal but now he was more than positive it was true.

"Of course I am," Turbo answered in a flat voice. "She was my best girl. I didn't tell her that very often but she was. I don't like to talk about her because it hurts too much."

He sighed and looked up at the sky, which the game's timer had changed into a night-time setting with twinkling realistic stars in the sky.

"What difference does it make if I do anyway?" he asked rhetorically. "She's dead, it doesn't matter."

Felix gasped when he heard that and took his hat of his head, putting it over his heart.

"Oh my lands, Rosie _died?_" he asked in shock. "I am so sorry! I never would have made that comment earlier if I'd known that. How did...I mean, _what happened_?"

Turbo gave Felix a baffled look.

"How many bricks have landed on your head, Fix-It?" he asked in an irritated manner. "She's been dead for _twenty-five years_. She followed me into _RoadBlasters_ trying to stop me from ruining my life, but I didn't know about it, and she got unplugged with the game."

He rested his head back between his hands and, much to Felix's complete dismay, started sobbing. _Sobbing_. Of course, the beer probably had some effect but still it was completely heartbreaking to hear.

"If she'd just hated me like I told her to, she never would've went in there! I _killed_ her, Felix, what the hell is wrong with me? If I'd known she was just going to die one day, I wish I never met her. Maybe she'd even be alive if she hadn't met me."

That was the worst memory of all, the one he tried the hardest to forget but couldn't. Being drunk was keeping his mental barriers from activating, so he couldn't help but replay that scene in his mind now. He had imagined what it was like for her to die over and over in his head, her code ripping apart slowly while she screamed for him, yet he couldn't hear or help her. He didn't know she was there until it was too late._ TurboTime_ was unplugged shortly after that, and that's when he went into hiding himself.

Felix was...confused. "What in the world are you-"

"You know what the last thing I ever said to her was?" Turbo interrupted him, looking up at the stars. "I told her to leave me alone. I _screamed_ it at her. She was trying to keep me from hurting myself and telling me she loved me, and I told her to shut up and leave me alone. She didn't deserve that, she didn't deserve any of what I put her through. I was such a selfish _bastard_. She'd have been better off with someone like...like you probably."

"Um, Turbo, you should probably know-"

"I would've married her, you know that? There wasn't any churches around at the time, so I never saw the point in asking. I guess I took her for granted more than I should have. If she were alive, I wouldn't blame her if she hated me for all the crap I put her through."

"She IS alive!" Felix finally yelled at him. "You motormouth, I've been sitting here trying to tell you that since you started babbling!"

Turbo stared at Felix, a disbelieving look on his face. "What?"

"She was a mess when we all thought you died," Felix continued, now that he was being listened to. "Poor girl wouldn't even come out of her console for the longest time, then she'd stay by herself at _Tapper's_, then finally when her game got unplugged she went to live with her two friends at _Street Fighter II. _After that, I don't know where she went. She just vanished one day. No one knows where she is."

Turbo let that sink in for a minute. Even in an intoxicated state, he knew Felix wouldn't lie about this or anything else for that matter.

"She's...alive?" he asked slowly, making sure he was hearing this right.

"Yes," Felix nodded at him. "She is. I can't believe you thought otherwise or else I'd have told you sooner."

She was alive? This whole damn time? That meant...

"That _bastard!_"

In a fit of rage, he threw his helmet off his head, flinging it into the vast desert. "That _bastard!_" he repeated before running out and kicking the helmet like a football. "_Lied to me_! That no-good, half-assed, cheating-"

Felix heard a long string of colorful words come out of his mouth, some he had heard and others he never knew existed. It was enough to make him blush and cover his ears. Turbo kept chasing his helmet around and kicking it, then he picked it up and started assaulting a group of innocent cacti with it, cursing the entire time. He finally ran out of steam after he killed a few tumbleweeds and plopped down on the ground, trying to punch the sand in front of him.

Now Felix was understandably frightened at this mini-rampage; he had never even seen Tamora get that mad at her team on a bad day and she was a pretty scary lady when she wanted to be, he'd admit. He finally decided that he should attempt to calm Turbo down before he went _really _nuts.

"That slimy jerkass," the racer kept muttering to himself, even as Felix was coming over to him. "He_ lied_ to me, he told me she was dead, that _lousy cuss_."

"_Who_ told you that?" Felix couldn't believe someone could be hateful enough to say such a horrible thing to someone, even if it was to the guy that had erased Tamora's memories and other such similar horrible things.

"_Teddy_! I'm a moron, I should've known he was lying. If I hadn't already killed him, I'd be doing it _now_."

Felix backed up a little bit, wringing his hands together. "You k-killed the twins?"

"Are you really _that_ surprised?" Turbo growled at him impatiently. "That was a really bad, really shitty day for me, okay? When he told me she was dead, I snapped."

He took a few deep breaths in attempts to calm down. "She's been alive this whole time. If I had known that, I would've never...damn it. DAMN IT." He rubbed his head, which was throbbing from both being angry and drunk. "Her's game's unplugged...that means she's homeless."

"Yeah..." Felix started, not following.

"That means General Holocaust is gonna..." He grinded his teeth in frustration. "She's gonna die, Felix. That freak wants to kill the homeless and if someone manages to find her, she's going to die. I may not have killed her back then but I sure have signed her death warrant _now_."

A lightbulb when off in Felix's head. "Hey, wait a second. Maybe not. You said the General saw your memories, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"_So_ he only knows what _you_ know," he reminded him. "Which means, he thinks she's dead too. He won't be actively trying to find her. Besides, if she's been hiding this well so far, I'm sure she's smart enough to stay that way if trouble brews up near her."

"Hey...yeah, you're right," Turbo realized, a small glimmer of hope shining through the dark cloud in his mind. "I'm not even gonna dare to think she might want to see me again. Like I said, I wouldn't blame her if she hated me. But I don't care. If I have to die keeping her safe, I'd do it. She's worth that."

Felix got a chill hearing him talk about dying like that. It was most unnerving that they could _all _possibly end up dead after this, if what Turbo had been saying this whole time was true.

"I'll help you," Felix offered kindly.

"No," Turbo responded immediately, picking himself up off the ground. "I'm not asking you to help with my own personal issues, Fix-It."

"Well...I'm not asking you to let me," he said decidedly, standing his ground. "Sounds to me like this whole shenanigan affects us all so I might as well do my part to help out. You can't do it by yourself. Besides, Rosie's a sweet girl, I don't want to see her get hurt either. Not to mention you still need to cure Tamora's amnesia and I suppose I should be involved in that much, at least."

"Does this mean you believe me now? About the General?"

Felix shrugged. "If you're going to keep making speeches like that, I don't think I have much choice."

Turbo smiled at him in appreciation. "Thanks, Felix. I don't say this about everyone, but you're a pretty turbo-tastic guy."

"Yeah, you're not so bad yourself," Felix found himself saying. It was a pretty odd thing to say seeing how they started the night off with Turbo trying to kick Felix off of a cruiser in mid-air and then leaving him in Nesquik Sand.

The racer stuck a hand out towards Felix. "How 'bout we let bygones be bygones, huh? I help you, you help me? Savvy?"

"I don't know what that means, but okay," Felix smiled back, shaking his new friend's hand.

"We need to work on modernizing your vocabulary. Also, that tantrum I had sobered me up, I'm afraid. Come on, buddy, you can be my designated driver."

"We don't have a car. And I can't drive," he protested.

"That was called a joke, Fix-It, geez I thought maybe you were translating me a little better by now. Besides, before you showed up, I managed to talk these guys into letting me drive a bike."

"Do you know _how_?"

"It can't be that hard," he shrugged. "It's just like a car, only half of its missing."

* * *

"In all my born days," Dirty Dan, a pal of Slim's, said as he looked on, "I ain't never seen a feller so fired up to get his ass whupped by a dadgum bike!"

"Poor soul's out there chewin' gravel!" exclaimed Saloon Sam, who had come out from behind the bar to watch the show. The sun had risen again thanks to the game's timer and it was back to being bright in the sandy world.

"Slim, get that chucklehead off that thing before he ends up in the cold meat wagon!"

"Don't be getting your dander up, Sam," Slim Jim responded, who was currently busy cleaning the undersides of his fingernails with a pocketknife. "He ain't a greenhorn driver; he's just playing with a different breed of horse is all."

Slim Jim'd had to dig out several models for Turbo to ride on since he was much shorter than any of the other bikers. The only thing he could find was a Sportster 883 Hugger that was lightweight enough for him to handle without too much difficulty and short enough for him to reach the pedals. Still, a motorcycle drives much differently than a car...and right now everyone was watching from the fence as Turbo crashed for the thirtieth time, with Felix having to fix the bike yet again.

"What was that you said about this not being all that hard?" Felix had to ask him, trying not to sound too cheeky.

"_Challenging_," the racer corrected him as he dusted himself off. "The word we're using is _challenging_. I think I'm getting better, if I do say so myself."

He righted the bike and hopped back on. "I think I'm leaning to the left too much. If I do _this_ then _this_, then it should be okay."

Felix closed his eyes as Turbo took off again, expecting another crash momentarily. He popped them back open when it didn't happen though and was pretty astonished to see that he'd actually managed to travel some distance this time and was still going.

"Woo-hoo!" Felix cheered, hopping up and down excitedly. "Way to go!"

"I...I did it," Turbo said to himself in a state of shock. "I did it! Ha ha! Turbo-tastic! Oh, wait...shit. How do you make it turn around?"

* * *

The two soldiers trekked through the desert, their guns out in case anything dangerous attacked them. Their comrade stayed behind near the portal in case anyway tried to escape after their arrival. The one called Solo eventually spotted the small Western town in the distance. His eyes narrowed, he whistled for his partner Skywalker to follow his lead. It was getting trickier to find these homeless characters as the day went on. Solo personally had been punched in the face by the two Street Fighter men who'd had girlfriends from an outdated basketball-type game. It had taken him pulling a gun on the girls in order to keep them in line.

"You think the General knows what he's doing?" Skywalker asked of him.

"He doesn't have those shiny medals and fancy title for nothin'," Solo responded, though he had begun to doubt the mission himself. "It'll be the Brig for us if we don't do what he says, so let's just get it over with."

* * *

Tumbleweed Tom came streaking out of the town right over to Slim Jim. The rotund man had to get on his tiptoes to whisper in Slim's ears. The taller man's eyes got big.

"You ain't joshin', are ya?"

"Nope, two big ol' spacey soldier dudes are headin' this-a way."

"Huh. Round the boys up. If it's a showdown they want, we'll give it to 'em."

* * *

It was like a scene straight out of the movies. The two soldiers made their way down to the small town, which was blocked by a line of cowboys on their motorcycles. All eyes were fixated on them. Solo noticed they were all packing guns of their own. This job was definitely getting too dangerous.

"Good evening...gentlemen," Solo began when he got in earshot of the posse. "I am here on official business so I suggest you all pay attention."

"Unless you aim to be bitin' the ground, I suggest you turn back," Dirty Dan sneered. "If you don't, my black-eyed Susan would _love_ to make your acquaintance."

He cocked his six-shooter towards the two soldiers. Everyone followed suit with their own weapons. Solo knew _his_ gun would easily blast everyone here to kingdom come but he also knew that if _he_ got shot fatally, then he would not regenerate. His armor was designed to protect him from Cy-Bugs, not bullets.

"Now, easy does it," Solo began again, getting just a bit nervous. "I'm not here to start trouble."

"Ya don't waltz into another man's world with a giant gun like that one there, and say you ain't lookin' for trouble," Dirty Dan retorted back, spitting some tobacco out onto the ground. "We ain't a bunch of lug-headed coots, boy. Like I said, best y'all turn around."

The bikers started inching forward, engines roaring as they did so. Skywalker grabbed Solo from behind.

"Forget this place, I'm not about to get myself killed."

* * *

While Dirty Dan and the other men preoccupied the soldiers, Slim Jim was guiding a safe path back to the portal so Turbo and Felix could escape. Slim got the run-down on the situation and he understood fully that they needed to get out and fast. They had just reached a few yards from the portal when Slim made them stop.

"Whoa, fellers, there's one more blocking the way," Slim Jim said, making them all duck down behind a sand dune. "I'll take care of him and you two burn the breeze."

"Burn the...what?" Felix asked from the backseat.

"Ride like the wind," Slim Jim explained. "You know."

"Get the hell outta here," Turbo translated, keeping a grip on the handlebars.

"Y'all take of yourselves now," the cowboy told them with a solemn expression. "Come back anytime! Best shindig I ever been to!"

And with that, Slim Jim made his departure. Guns blazing, he ran out across the soldier's line of view and fired bullets towards him, being careful to miss. Startled, the soldier threw himself down, crawling away from his post to find shelter. He managed to get behind a huge rock, peering out and firing shots of his own.

"Hang on, Tonto!" Turbo called back to Felix. "This might be a bumpy ride!"

The bike sped out across the sand, bypassing the gunfight that was orchestrated by Slim Jim and down the dark tunnel they went. Turbo had to slow down a little bit because the portal was curved and it was harder to keep from toppling over_, _plus he had to steer clear of the tracks running down the middle of it.

"Well, so far so good," Felix remarked. "I see the opening up ahead! Stop for a second."

"Stop? What for?"

"Surge Protector can probably tell us where Ralph and Vanellope went."

Turbo felt like ramming his head into a wall. "Do we _really_ need to involve them in this?"

"Yes we do," the handyman insisted. "We need all the help we can get."

"And you think Princess Puke and Gorilla Fists are going to be of service?"

"Just pull over!" Felix groaned.

Turbo rolled his eyes but he did as he was told, much to Felix's surprise. Felix hopped off the bike and slowly headed for the entrance, making sure the coast was clear before he did anything. He didn't see anyone out there, so he assumed that all the soldiers were busy being inside the other games. He stuck his hand out in the barrier to prompt the Surge Protector to pop up.

"Oh, Fix-It Felix!" the security guard exclaimed when he saw who was there. "The arcade is in ruins! The soldiers from Hero's Duty have completely lost their minds! And-" His eyes darkened and he glared past Felix. "And is _that_ who I think it is?"

Turbo smiled and waved his fingers at him from his spot on the bike. "Long time, no see, Surgie!"

"It's fine, it's fine," Felix quickly assured the guard. "He's okay, he's helping me."

"Why do I find that hard to believe? You are nothing but a trouble-making delinquent!" he blurted out, waving a scolding finger at the racer. "Always were one, even back in the day! Racing around in that car of yours like some kind of hot shot!"

Turbo kept smiling at him as if he knew a dirty secret. "Hey, Surgie, what do you think about all this graffiti?" he asked pointedly, taking a casual look around the tunnel's inside. "I think you slack off on the job too much, there's no _way_ anyone could sneak past a guy like you and do all this, huh?"

Surge Protector jolted back in shock, the electricity running above his head sparking.

"And the ones that I've seen of _me_," Turbo pressed on. "Well, I think they could be a little better. I'm not smiling nearly enough. What do _you_ think?"

Felix glanced between the two of them, not sure what the Sam Hill was going on.

"Hey, Felix, did you know the Surge here was an art connoisseur?"

"Be quiet!" Surge Protector said in a hushed voice, glancing around nervously. "Okay, fine, I'll let both of you go."

"Oh, _wonderful_!" Felix replied in a slightly exaggerated happy voice and a huge forced smile on his face. "Can you perhaps tell us where Ralph and Vanellope disappeared to earlier?"

Surge Protector shot a rather evil glare at Turbo before answering. "They went to the Ninja Turtles game. They haven't come out yet so I'll assume the Turtles have blessed their presence. And _you_." He directed this at Turbo. "_You _better not stir up trouble down there. I'm warning you."

"Yeah, yeah, blah blah blah. Felix, let's go already!"


	11. Time to Shuffle the Deck

**That Little Game Called Life**

**Chapter Eleven**

"Hey...you know, this car smells kinda...sweet."

Rocksteady, the rhino mutant, took a whiff of the stolen car the Foot Soldiers had brought in earlier. "Yeah...like cookies and...and other junk."

"I wonder where it came from," his partner, Bebop (a warthog) pondered out loud, scratching his head.

"I wonder if we can eat it."

Rocksteady licked his lips and made a move to take a bite out of the steering wheel but Bebop stopped him.

"You _can't_ eat it!" he scolded. "We won't be able to play race car if you do!"

"Oh yeah, I didn't think of that."

Vanellope and Rosie were hiding behind some giant boxes inside the warehouse they had gone into. They had finally tracked down the stolen kart, unknown to any of the boys of course. Rosie groaned slightly when she saw who was in possession of the vehicle.

"Oh great, those two lamebrains."

"I think they look pretty cool! I like the pig's glasses."

"Shh! They'll hear you," the teen whispered. "That's Bebop and Rocksteady. They work for Shredder, one of the main villains, but they're complete morons. I don't know why he bothers with them."

They watched as the two mutants tried to figure out how they could get into the tiny seat and push themselves around in it.

"They're gonna break it!" Vanellope whined. "Me and Ralph made that together! It's irreplaceable! Can't you go out there and do some ninja stuff to them?"

"I can't take them _both_ on! Maybe one but not both. They may be dumb, but they're pretty strong." Rosie tried to think of an idea. "We need some kind of distraction to lure them away from the car so we can drive off in it. But what?"

* * *

"I told you we should have taken a right," Turbo was telling Felix as they traversed the unknown streets of fake-Manhattan. "You know, we've been here a while now and I have yet to see any ninjas _or_ turtles."

"That's because they're super secretive," Felix explained, glancing around fearfully at all the dark shadows. "No one has ever seen them. Not once have they come out of their console since they got plugged in."

"Geez, and I thought _you_ were sheltered. They'd probably crawl back into their shells if they ever went to that _Hero's Duty_ place."

"Maybe we should ask for directions," Felix suggested, changing the subject. "Someone's bound to have seen Ralph and Vanellope."

"The guy is nine feet tall, of _course_ someone's seen _him_."

Felix rolled his eyes. "Look, there's some lights on in that warehouse over there. We'll just drop in and ask."

"You make it sound like we're visiting your grandma."

* * *

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_

"Hey, you hear that?" Rocksteady asked as he straddled the little car, having given up on fitting in the seat.

"Is someone for real knocking on the front door?"

The rhino got excited. "Oooh, maybe it's the pizza guy!"

"We didn't order no pizza!"

"Oh yeah...it must be those toitles!"

"Yeah, they playin' some kinda joke on us! Let's get them!"

* * *

"Well, that was easy," Rosie commented as the two goons left the back room and headed out into the main part. "I wonder who's at the door?"

"Who cares, let's make like a banana and split!"

Vanellope ran and jumped into her seat, hugging and kissing the steering wheel as she settled in. "Hello, kart, did those big melon-heads hurt you?"

Rosie climbed onto the back where Ralph normally sat while Vanellope geared up and headed towards the back door.

"Did you just really say the banana split joke?"

"I'm from a candy world, what did you expect?"

* * *

Bebop and Rocksteady swung open the front door and stared at...no one. Then they heard someone clear their throat from down below. They simultaneously dropped the heads down and saw a man they had never seen before in their life.

"Hey, since when are there little kids in this game?" Rocksteady asked, scratching his head in confusion.

The little man looked insulted. "Excuse me, gentlemen, my name is Fix-it Felix, Jr...from the game, _Fix-It Felix, Jr._"

"That's not a kid at all," Bebop remarked in amazement. "It's one of those...uh...midget people."

Felix furrowed his brow angrily. "That is very rude."

"You're obviously not familiar with us."

_I'm _obviously_ dealing with half-wits_, Felix thought to himself. "Now see here, I happen to be very lost and was hoping that perhaps one of you could be so kind as to give me some directions."

The two beast-men exchanged glances and then stared back at Felix as if they had no clue what he was asking of them.

"Jimminy jamminy, I need to find the turtles!" Felix summarized for them.

"Oh, you want the _toitles_," Rocksteady sneered. "You interrupted our race car game to ask us where those shell-brains were?"

Felix fidgeted where he stood. "Um...yes?" he answered hesitantly.

Bebop grabbed the little guy by his shirt collar and lifted him up to his level, staring at him through his sunglasses.

"You came to the wrong place, midget kid dude."

"Yeah!" Rocksteady laughed. "Everybody knows they live in the sewers!"

"How...unsanitary," Felix muttered, trying to wiggle out of the warthog's grasp.

"Say your prayers, you little-OUCH!"

A garbage can lid flew out of nowhere and smacked Bebop right in the leg, making him grab his leg in pain and drop Felix in the process. Another one flew out and clocked Rocksteady in the face, causing him to hold his nose.

"We're getting attacked by garbage cans!" the pig-man squealed as he rubbed his injured leg and hopped around on his good one to keep his balance.

Felix bolted himself up and ran at lightening speed back to where the bike was stashed.

"I thought you were going to be right behind me!" he yelled as he leaped into his seat.

"I was," Turbo stated matter-of-factly as he sped off. "I was just farther behind than you assumed I would be."

Felix peeked around behind him and noticed the two mutant goons were chasing after them.

"Um, we're being followed!"

"I figured that!"

Turbo screeched to a halt, which was enough to send Felix flying forward a little bit and ramming into Turbo's back.

"What...what are you doing?" Felix asked in near hysterics. "They're going to rip us to shreds!"

Turbo ignored him and wasted no time grabbing his panicking friend off the backseat, pulled open the nearest manhole cover and threw the poor lad down into the sewers. Felix landed roughly on his back, knocking the wind out of him temporarily.

"I'll keep these two occupied while you find your buddies!" Turbo called down from above. "I'll catch up with ya later!"

"Wait-wait-wait," Felix protested but it was too late. The manhole cover was replaced and he heard the bike's engine zoom off, followed by the heavy footsteps of their pursuers.

"I do declare, he has got to be the most random person I know," he said out loud, pulling his hammer out and tapping himself to cure his aching back. "It would be nice to have a heads up before being tossed like a coin in a fountain."

Felix examined his new surroundings, not sure which direction to go in. He opted to go left since right would take him back to the warehouse they had just departed from. Hopefully the turtles would be close by so he wouldn't be hopelessly lost forever.

* * *

"Ralph, my man, I will never again make fun of you having spaghetti for brains," Vanellope told Ralph upon her return to the Turtles' home. The turtles (and Rosie) were currently with Master Splinter in the workout area doing some routine skill practice.

"I'm telling ya, these two guys we saw...they really were airheads."

"I still can't believe you ran off without telling me where you going." Ralph was looking down at her with his arms crossed like an angry parent. "You realize anything could have happened to you right?"

"You worry too much," the little girl dismissed. "Besides, I had a grown up with me."

"Rosie's _barely_ an adult."

"She's been through enough adult junk to qualify, dontcha think?"

The wrecker remembered well the several instances where he'd had to physically carry the grieving cheerleader out of _Tapper's_ because she was too drunk to walk home. Tapper had a strict policy about serving to minors, but he'd felt so bad for her that he'd give her a few sips of the hard stuff in her root beer just so she'd get tired enough to go home to bed. Unfortunately, several other people had the same idea and she'd end up drunk some nights. Ralph recalled one particularly memorable morning, about an hour before the arcade opened, where she had been so pissed off that she slammed a bottle against the bar and sliced her hand open, prompting him to have to grab Felix to heal her real quick.

"Yeah, I guess," he grumbled. "But that's no reason for you to wander off without telling me!"

"You're quite the expert at grudge-holding, you know that?"

* * *

"Hey, you guys want pizza?" Rosie asked after she freshened up. "I'll go get it."

An array of "oh no, don't do that" protests from the turtles sounded as soon as she offered.

"You don't have to go out there to get it," Leonardo told her as he polished his blade.

"No, it's cool, I want some fresh air anyway," she insisted. "I'll be careful."

"Make sure it has pepperoni and anchovies!" Mikey called from the bathroom.

* * *

Felix and Rosie just missed each other. Right when Felix rounded the corner, she had already gone up the ladder to the streets and headed out. If they had passed by, Felix would've told her what she was going to find out for herself momentarily. But the moment was gone and fate did not intervene in that particular case.

The sewers were making Felix dizzy from not knowing exactly what direction to go in and not being able to tell if he was going in circles. He sat down and rested his head for a spell in his hands. He was about to give up all hope of ever seeing civilization again when-

"Man, we sure are getting _lots_ of visitors today."

Felix popped his head up and realized he was surrounded by none other than the very turtles he had been trying to find. He wasn't sure if he should be excited or frightened of them. They looked very imposing, especially to a little guy like himself.

"It's okay, dude, we're not gonna kill you," Michelangelo promised.

"Well...that's a relief," Felix replied. "I take it you're the ninja turtles?"

Raphael opened his mouth to say something smart-assed but Donatello noticed and thumped him lightly with his bo.

"I'm Fix-It Felix, Jr. from the game _Fix-It Felix, Jr," _he introduced himself. "I'm looking for my two friends Wreck-It Ralph and Vanellope von Schweetz. Have you happened upon them by any chance?"

"You, sir, are in the right place."

* * *

Felix had never been so happy to see his two friends in all his life. Vanellope ran and gave him a big hug before running off to go try her hand at the punching bag and Ralph lightly fist-bumped him.

"Glad to see you, brother," Felix smiled at his co-worker. "Boy, I never thought I'd see you two again."

"Same here," Ralph told him. "We thought we lost you for good earlier. What happened to Turbo?"

"Oh, he's here."

"WHAT?" Ralph's voice was so loud that Felix fell over. "Oh, sorry."

"No problem, I think I'm getting used to getting knocked around today," he remarked as Ralph picked him back up. "No, but he's here with me. He's distracting these two horrible beast people that were very rude and started chasing us."

Ralph was looking Felix as if he'd gone crazy. "You mean you actually _brought_ him here? You've been with him this whole time?"

Felix appeared uncomfortable. He never thought he'd have to defend Turbo of all people against one of his friends. "He's...he's really not all that bad," Felix confessed, fidgeting as he did so. "He's a little odd but I think he's just misunderstood."

"_Not all that bad_?" Ralph gaped at him, not believing what he was hearing. "That nut tried to _kill_ Vanellope and countless others! And that was _before_ trying to take over the arcade! I don't think there's any misunderstanding that!"

"Yes, well...he apologized."

The wrecker looked at him blankly. "He apologized. Seriously, Felix? Have you forgotten that he brainwashed your wife into forgetting about you? Have you forgotten that he has caused nothing but trouble since he's been back? Come on, Felix, I know you're a nice guy but this is really pushing it."

Felix took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I know he's done a lot of bad things," he started off slowly. "But so have a lot of us. I know we haven't done anything as bad as...as murder or world domination or brainwashing but none of us are perfect. Now, I've been getting dragged all over creation by the guy and I've come to realize that he's not half-bad. I saw him break down crying in front of me, Ralph. Literally pouring his heart out. And that's when I realized that he _did_ have a heart."

Ralph let this soak in, not sure if he was going to fall for it or not. He didn't trust the former racer, not by a long shot, but if Felix thought he was okay then maybe he was all right. _Maybe_.

"Everyone deserves a second chance," Felix continued, still standing his ground. "And that includes Turbo. At least, that's what I think."

The wrecking man gave Felix a long hard look. He knew he was right and he hated that he was. Ralph remembered what it was like to have everyone doubt that all he was good for was being the "villain" of his game, that he could never change his life to be what he wanted it to be. He had never thought about anyone else maybe feeling the same way, especially someone that had caused nothing but pain for others.

"Okay, fine, but that still doesn't solve our problem with the _Hero's Duty_ soldiers running amok," Ralph pointed out after a minute. "How does he plan to fix that anyway?"

"I'm not sure," Felix admitted with a shrug. "We never really talked about _how_. Knowing him, he's got some kind of plan forming but I haven't the foggiest idea what it would be."

Vanellope skipped back up to them at this time, having decided punching bags weren't for her. "I'm hungry, Rosie better hurry up with that pizza! I'm famished!"

Felix's eyes bugged out of his head. "Did...did you say _Rosie_?"

"Yeppers, she's been living here for _years_!" Vanellope told him as she hopped back and forth over Ralph's giant foot.

Felix couldn't believe it. Of all the game consoles they ended up in, it was the one where Rosie had been hiding out all these years. "Where is she? Is she by herself?"

"Yeah, she went out to get pizza, aren't you paying attention to _anything_ I say?"

Ralph noticed that Felix was distressed by this news. "What's wrong, Felix?"

"Turbo was telling the truth about General Hologram earlier," the handyman spat out. "He wants to round up all the homeless game characters and kill them off in order to prevent them from _possibly_ taking over any games. He threatened to kill Turbo if he didn't help, so naturally being self-preserving, he did as he was told."

"And you _believe_ him?"

"Of course I do! The second he found out Rosie was alive...long story...he went into near hysterics worrying about her getting killed too. If there's anything in this world that he never joked around about, even back in the old days, it was racing and that girl."

* * *

Meanwhile, Turbo had managed to lose Rocksteady and Bebop...or rather they had just given up chasing him all over the city and headed back home. Good thing too because the motorcycle was running low on fuel. Turbo shook his head at how small the gas tank was and parked the bike in an alley where it wouldn't be seen too easily. First things first, he was going to have to find some gasoline for it before he dared descend into the sewers and attempt to find Felix. He felt bad at throwing him in like he did but they were _kinda_ in a time crunch.

Besides, Felix can heal any injuries he gets. So there.

He went inside one building that looked like it had a variety of junk in it and started scrounging around for a gas tank, if there were any. After about fifteen minutes of digging around, he finally chanced to look up on a shelf against the back wall and saw what he was looking for. And it was way up high out of his reach.

Turbo let out a huff in annoyance. "Why couldn't my developers have made me a foot taller?"

* * *

Rosie was skipping along the sidewalk, making sure not to step on any cracks, when she heard the loud crash in the building down the street. Startled, she ducked into an alley thinking maybe it was one of the Foot Clan members or , worse, one of the game bosses. She waited a few minutes before reemerging, quietly making her way down to where she'd heard the noise. She needed to know what exactly she was up against out here, regretting her decision to come out alone.

It stayed silent for a few minutes, much to her relief, then she heard another crash. She pinpointed it coming from the building directly to the right of her. On tiptoes, Rosie inched her way over to the where the door had been left cracked open and timidly peeked inside. It was so dark in there that it took a minute for her to focus and...

Her eyes popped open and her heart stopped. For a second she forgot how to breathe. Her hands started shaking and she had to squeeze them in order to stop.

Surely not. Surely that wasn't...her eyes _had_ to be playing tricks on her. They _had_ to be.

Right?


	12. Hello Again

_Okay, guys, here you go :) __The moment everyone (to my knowledge at least) has been waiting for. This was definitely the toughest chapter to write. If I had to pick a theme song for these two it would be Kelly Clarkson's Dark Side, which is what kinda snowballed this whole thing. Enjoy.  
_

* * *

**That Little Game Called Life**

**Chapter Twelve**

Rosie sat there in complete shock, not able to believe what was before her very eyes. And yet there he was...alive and well just as she'd been told he was. Turbo was trying to reach what looked like a gas can from a high shelf and he was having difficulty with it. It was like deja vu. Instead of being outside her old gym watching him fail to climb a tree, she was watching him inside an old building failing to reach the top shelf. She didn't know what to do, _if_ she should do anything. Before she could talk herself out of it, she quietly crept in.

His back was turned to her so he never heard her. Rosie's heart was hammering so hard she could feel it in her ears and she held her breath. She never in her wildest dreams imagined that he would actually show up here, even when Vanellope told her that he wasn't dead, she never dared to think she would see him again. The room started spinning and she bit her lip to keep from fainting.

_Well, you got this far. Say something!  
_

_Like what? Hi, how are you? Long time, no see? What's the weather like where you've been? _

_He's going to turn around eventually so you might as well be the first to say _something_. Don't just stand there like a dolt._

Rosie licked her lips, having to force the words to come out.

"Do you need some help, champ?"

The world stopped.

No, it didn't just stop. It braked to a screeching halt.

Everything that had been running through Turbo's mind at that point in time took a backseat as soon as he heard her voice. He couldn't even remember what he was doing there to begin with. He finally dared to turn around, looking at her with those big puppy-dog eyes of his, mentally trying to decide if she was real.

And just like that, all the lonely nights, the heartaches, the painful memories, the agonizing realizations that they would never see each other again...all of those things dissipated from their conscious minds for just that one moment in time.

Instinctively, Rosie ran up and wrapped her arms around him in a loving embrace. It had been so long...God, it had been _so long_...since Turbo had been hugged by _anyone_ that the action seemed foreign to him at first. He pulled her tight against him, maybe a little too hard, but she didn't mind. She could feel his heart beating, solidifying proof that this was not a dream, and the tears she'd tried to hold in came pouring out in a steady stream.

It took a while for Turbo to remember how to breathe. He hadn't realized he'd been holding it in since he first heard her speak, his lungs burning contentedly as fresh air entered them. He ran his hands gently through her hair, smiling when he realized she still possessed the flowery scent that he'd always been fond of.

"You-" his voice cracked a little and he forced himself to swallow. "You look pretty with your hair down," he managed to get out in a hoarse whisper. She had always kept it up in a ponytail in the past, except when they were in bed of course...easier to run his hands through it that way.

Rosie smiled when she heard him; she'd almost forgotten what he sounded like after all this time. If she had to pick the one thing that she missed the most about him, it was simply having him around to talk to. Most people would have wished he would pipe down or go away after a spell, but she could've talked to him all day. He could go from making her laugh one second to sweet-talking her the next.

"Yeah, I heard a rumor you still liked red," she whispered back, flicking her hand across her eyes to wipe fresh tears away.

"Oh, Rosie," he sighed raggedly. "I've been so miserable without you. You have no idea how much I've missed you."

And just like that, the moment was over.

Reality came crashing back in like a ten-car pile up on the interstate. All the hurt and doubts that had consumed her for so many years came rushing back into her mind. Missed her?

"You...missed _me_?" she repeated, anger rising up in her. "You..._missed_...me?!"

Rosie roughly shoved him backwards, much to his complete shock. He stared at her with a very hurt expression.

"Rosie, what...what did I...?"

"You missed me _so bad_ that it took you twenty-five years to come see me, huh?" she was yelling at him. She hadn't wanted to, but damn it, that really hit a nerve with her.

"Do you have _any_ idea what I've been through since you've been gone? I missed you every _damn_ day! Every _damn_ blessed day for years I cried over you, and for what? I find out from a complete stranger that you're fine as hell and playing king of the mountain while I'm trying to get over you not being here!"

She'd obviously heard about the Sugar Rush incident, and as he had expected she wasn't too happy about it. Which of course was completely justified.

"Honey, I...I..." he tried to start.

"Don't you honey-baby-sugar-darling-sweetheart _me_!" she snapped at him, poking him in the chest to make him back away from her more. "You _bastard_, I blamed myself for what you did! I thought if I'd been a better girlfriend maybe I could've made you stick around and not kill yourself! I had to hear day after day from everyone about what a psychopathic monster you were, and I was stupid enough to defend you! And all the while you're off in God knows where living your little carefree life without so much as dropping by to tell me you're even alive!"

Turbo couldn't spit the words out. "But...I...but...I thought..."

"You know what the worst part is? I still _love_ you! Even after all the shit I've been through, all the shit _you_ caused, I still love you!" She knew she had tears running down her face but she was too pissed to wipe them away. "Through all the sleepless nights, the binge drinking, the neighborhood gossip...all I cared about was I was never going to see you again! And I just find out today that you're _alive_?! Son of a bitch, don't you _dare_ come down here and tell me after _twenty-five years_ that you missed me!"

"I _did_!" he insisted, tears welling up in his own eyes. "I _did_ miss you! More than anything in the world!"

"Then why the hell didn't you come back to me?!"

"_I thought you were dead_!"

That snapped her out of it. She blinked a few times, letting the statement sink in. "What?"

"I thought you were dead, too," he repeated gently, barely above a whisper. "I would have come to see you, but...I didn't know you were still alive."

"Why..." she paused for a second to calm down. "Why did you think...?"

"Teddy...told me that you followed me into _RoadBlasters_ and...you didn't get out in time before it got unplugged. It sounds kind of stupid now, but that's what I thought."

Rosie wasn't sure how to process that bit of information. She didn't say anything for a while, not sure _what_ to say.

_That does sound like something I would have done_, she admitted to herself. _And that sounds like something that little jerk-off would've said._

"I _did_ miss you," Turbo continued in a soft voice, not wanting to do anything to set her off again. "I thought I killed you, sweetie. It hurt so bad I didn't even want to remember anything about us. If I'd known you were alive, I'd have come to see you right away. You were my best girl; you still are. I never quit loving you either."

He should have expected that she'd start crying again.

"I'm a bitch."

"No, you're not. Come here, baby. Come here," he coaxed her, grabbing her hand gently to pull her back into a hug.

Rosie buried her face between his neck and shoulder and sobbed while he rubbed her back. It was a horrible feeling that he'd been the one to make her cry so much, to make her suffer over something that _he_ did.

"I'm sorry," she managed to choke out after settling down.

"You don't have anything to be sorry about," he affirmed, giving her a squeeze. "I deserve getting fussed at. Everything's my fault. I'm sorry I put you through all that. I'm sorry about _everything_. I never should have left my game that day. I should have been happy with what I had.

"I'm not going to lie to you, I've done several unforgivable things since I've seen you. Whatever you heard, it's probably true. I killed people, manipulated them, brainwashed them, the whole kit-and-caboodle. If you don't want to be anywhere near me, I wouldn't blame you. I wouldn't want to be around me either. Those are hardly shining characteristics for anyone to possess much less a boyfriend."

_She realized that they were at a point of no return and a decision had to be made, and it was hers to make._

Rosie had already, without thinking too hard on the matter, forgiven him of all these things a long time ago. No matter what crazy stunt he pulled, she was always going to love him. What that said about _her_, being in love with a self-proclaimed murderer, she honestly didn't know or care now that he was back. Everything was okay now.

"Some boyfriend you turn out to be anyway," she jested lightly. "You haven't even kissed me yet."

It took Turbo a second to comprehend what she said. Hell, if he had to be honest it scared him that she was being this forgiving. On the other hand, he was relieved that she hadn't given up on him. It was a lot to ask of anyone, to overlook the inner darkness that had corrupted his life, but she hadn't run away.

He eased her away from him and looked into her big green eyes that were sparkling like the finest of emeralds. His hands framed her face and went around the back of her head, pulling her in for a tender kiss. They both sighed into it, neither of them having thought they would get to do this again. He pulled back for a second because he got lightheaded and she reached to grasp the collar of his suit to draw him back in again. They locked eyes when it was over with, both of them feeling a little shaky.

"I missed those," Rosie sighed faintly.

"Pretty girl like you?" Turbo smiled at her. "Should have had the boys lining up at your door ready to give you plenty of those."

She blushed and cast her eyes down shyly. "You're the only one that made it this far."

The selfish side of him was pleased to hear that.

"Guess we have some catching up to do then," he whispered as he dropped his hands down to her waist to press her to him.

He was just getting ready to lean back in, fully prepared to lavish her with deep kisses, when he heard the voices outside. It was a little disorienting for her to get suddenly pushed down to the ground and shoved back in a corner. Rosie looked at him as if he'd lost his mind.

"Stay here," Turbo instructed firmly. "I'll be right back."

He hated to leave her like that but they weren't living in the safest of times. Now that he'd found her, his number one priority was keeping her out of the enemy's clutches. Oh, he still had every intention of going back to _Hero's Duty_ once he had a plan formed on how to defeat Hologram, but he needed a place where he could think clearly first and also get Rosie somewhere where she'd be okay for awhile.

Turbo made his way slowly to the jarred open door and peeked through it, watching to see if anyone passed by or if he could hear those voices again. Eventually the forms of two soldiers appeared, two that he had seen before. One of them was Felix's wife, the Calhoun woman. Seeing her reminded him of his promise to Felix, wherever _he_ was now, and it further reminded him that this whole business was his own fault.

Calhoun and her partner were chatting and Turbo strained his ears to listen in:

"You think those two mutated freaks we saw were telling the truth?" Kohut asked of his sergeant.

"They were more scared than a knitting grandma going to a monster truck rally. They knew it was a bad idea to lie to those bearing arms."

"I dunno, I guess I don't like the idea of going into sewers. Besides, if that Surge Protector guy was also telling the truth, this console doesn't get too many visitors from other games. Said it was against the rules to come in here."

"Rules were made to be broken."

Turbo backed up and headed back to where he'd left Rosie at. She appeared understandably confused. He knelt down and took her by the hands.

"I want you to listen to me," he started, being dead serious now. "I really jacked up this time and possibly caused the downfall of this arcade. Those soldiers out there are traveling from console to console collecting the ones that don't have a home system anymore. Like _us_. Their leader is a guy named General Hologram and he wants to kill all of them in order to prevent them from possibly overriding his system and taking over for themselves."

Rosie's eyes got wide with fright. This was not the conversation she expected to be having right now.

"Those soldiers aren't acting the way they normally would. Hologram kept me locked up for a few months and said I had to erase all their memories so they wouldn't feel guilty about wiping out their friends. I'll admit I went along with it initially but I'll have you know it pissed me off greatly to have my rights stripped away and being forced into something. I thought he had meant to kill me when I escaped but I think he's got something else, something _bigger_, planned and he needs me to do it.

"One of those soldiers is Felix's wife, Fix-It Felix? I think we're kinda buds now, but anyway I promised him I'd get his wife back for him since she doesn't remember anything about him. I'm not sure how I'm going to go about all this, but I'm the only one that knows anything about code hacking to take care of it."

"You're going back in there?" she asked of him, although she was afraid she already knew the answer.

Turbo squeezed her hands reassuringly. "Not right now. I've got to get you out of here first. I won't let them get you." He crossed his heart and smiled at her. "Racer's honor."

She smiled back at him briefly before she thought of something. "What about the turtles?"

He was taken aback by the question. "What about them?"

"They're not going to get hurt, are they?" she asked worriedly. "They might think something happened to me and try to fight those guys."

Turbo hadn't even considered the fact that Rosie had a life built here, even though it only made sense. She'd been here for who knows how long, of course she was going to think of the residents here as her family. He may not have thought of the _Sugar Rush_ racers as anything other than his lowly subjects but Rosie was different. She actually liked the people here.

"And Wreck-It Ralph and Vanellope are down there too," Rosie added. "They might get hurt, since they're not from here."

_Felix is down there too somewhere,_ Turbo thought to himself. _Not that I can do anything about that now._

"Honey, they're _ninjas,_" he pointed out. "I think they can take care of themselves. Plus, Ralph can pummel those soldiers down to code bits if he wanted and Vanellope can glitch herself out of danger. I don't think we need to worry about them."

She still looked upset. That was the big difference between them; Turbo hadn't cared about anyone but himself since he "died"; here _she_ was being more concerned about others getting hurt.

How did he ever get so lucky to land a girl like that? He was an idiot to have run her off that night.

"How's this: When this is all over, we can come back and visit, okay?" he proposed. "I don't think they'd like to find out you got killed because you were more worried about them than yourself. Okay?"

It took her a few seconds to finally comply.

"It'll work out all right." He gave her a big smile. "Champ's here to take care of ya."

Rosie returned the smile and then she remembered to ask, "Hey, what were you doing in _here_ anyway?"

Turbo had completely forgotten the reason he had been in the building. "Oh right!" he recalled, snapping his fingers. "I need that gas can up there," he nodded at the shelf, "because my motorcycle ran empty."

"You have a _motorcycle_?"

"Well I just got it today. Let's just say I have a newfound respect for cowboys."

"Don't those ride horses?"

"These guys have _horsepower, _that's much cooler_. _Anyway, I'll give you a boost so you can grab that can for me, if you don't mind."

"Funny how we're practically the same height yet I'm the one that has to fetch things for you," she said in a faux-cocky manner. "How'd you ever survive without me?"

_Oh, the smart-ass returns!_ Turbo thought gleefully, having missed being around someone that could actually be sarcastic back at him...unlike Felix, who didn't seem to understand half a thing that came out of his mouth.

"This may come as a shock to you, but...," he paused for dramatic effect, "I actually mastered the art of using a stepladder."

Rosie laughed a little bit, something he was glad to hear.

"There's my cheery cheerleader. All right, shake a leg. We got to scram."


	13. Back to the Station

_To the guest that asked: I personally don't think he has one in his "normal voice". I think that was just another way to further disguise himself while in Sugar Rush. Otherwise, Ralph would have figured out who "King Candy" was a lot sooner, seeing as how Turbo recognized Ralph immediately. They obviously knew each other before so of course he would remember what he sounded like, if he did in fact have a recognizable speech impediment such as that one. Just my opinion of course._

* * *

**That Little Game Called Life**

**Chapter Thirteen**

What happened in the sewers took place so fast that no one had time to think. One minute, everyone was sitting around the turtles' living room; the next, they were all being held hostage with guns pointed in their direction. The situation was surreal in that those holding them in this position was Calhoun and Kohut.

Now the turtles and Splinter naturally could fight the two newcomers but that plan was blown when the lives of their new friends were threatened. Leonardo was literally having to hold Raphael back. Vanellope was hiding behind Ralph's leg, clutching his pants in fear.

Many thoughts ran through Felix's head as his wife held a gun to him. It was almost ironic, seeing as when they first met she had been shooting at him from a misunderstanding. There was no misunderstanding this time; she meant business. However, even though she had no recollection of their relationship, that did not do anything to change Felix's feelings for her. It wasn't _her_ fault after all. Why blame her for something that was entirely out of her hands, out of _any_ of their hands?

Calhoun looked at the husband she did not know and smirked.

"Well, we meet again, shortstack. Seems that the strings of destiny have tied us back together."

Felix's heart hurt. He was in quite a bind here, what with his beloved Tammy being ordered to arrest him and also his friends being threatened with possibly the same fate. He glanced at Ralph and Vanellope, knowing he couldn't let them suffer through something they had no business being involved in.

"Yes, quite a tangle we're in," he responded back timidly. "May...may I ask something of you, if that's quite all right?"

Calhoun narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously but she nodded in affirmation.

"If it isn't too much trouble, if I go with you willingly, could you leave my friends alone? They haven't done anything wrong."

The sergeant was surprised and a little touched at the request. Before her was this fugitive she was meant to throw in the Brig and all he was wanting was for her to leave his friends alone in return for coming along without a fight. It was so...selfless. Heroic in a way. Respectful.

_Get a hold of yourself, Calhoun. This Fix-It guy possibly had something to do with Brad's disappearance...wherever he might be, if he's even alive. _

Nevertheless, the woman relaxed her grip on the gun, much to Felix and everyone else's relief.

"Very well," she said at length.

Ralph whispered, "Felix, no!", but the handyman had his mind made up. Head held high, Felix surrendered himself into the company from _Hero's Duty. _Calhoun kept an eye on him as she followed him back out into the sewers. Kohut stayed behind to make sure nobody tried any funny business.

As they headed back to the above-ground level, Felix dared to glance up at his wife. He longed to embrace and kiss her, to be able to talk and joke around with her, even just to sit back and relax after a long day together. It hurt that she did not feel the same way, at least not for now. Hopefully Turbo would keep his promise and get her memories back. It was strange that he had to rely on the person responsible for this mess to fix it but what choice did he have?

"Where's your partner?" Calhoun asked, referring to Turbo. "He owes me for that little face-plant he made me do a while back."

_He owes you for that brainwash he gave you,_ Felix responded silently.

How long had it even been since this whole shenanigan started? Two hours? Three? Longer? Good thing Litwak was on his vacation.

"I haven't seen him," Felix partially lied, ashamed that he had to do so. "We got separated."

"Do you know where Dr. Scott is located?"

_Dr. Scott? Brad? But he's dead, why would she ask..._

That's when it sunk in...she still thought Brad was alive. The memory erasure must have included that of his death, the death that she inadvertently caused by not doing a perimeter check that day. Why would Turbo erase that? It didn't make any sense. What could be gained in taking away that particular moment in her life? The racer had said that he was jealous when he erased Felix from her mind, but why take Brad's death away?

Regardless, the fact that Tamora was missing Brad hit Felix hard. It was downright devastating. Felix had to remind himself that she wasn't herself but it didn't do much to ease the pain.

Calhoun had to whistle at him to snap him out of the shocked silence he had gone into.

"Clean your ears, small fry. Answer the question."

Felix gulped and had to fight back the tears that he wanted to shed. "I...I'm afraid I don't know that, ma'am."

She looked peeved at his response but she didn't press any farther. Felix could tell she was upset and wished he could comfort her, but alas he could not. They finally got to the portal where he saw Markowski standing guard. It was strange to think that just earlier he had been saying hello to Felix like a good friend and now he did not know who he was.

"Where's Kohut?" he asked as the two approached him.

"He stayed behind," Calhoun responded. "He should be coming along shortly. Let's move out, Fix-It."

Felix sighed sadly, dropping his head down as he did so. "Yes, ma'am."

* * *

Kohut waited a good fifteen minutes before deciding to take his leave. He kept his gun out as he headed towards the entrance to the sewers.

"If anyone follows me..." He made a slicing motion across his neck to pantomime his intentions. "So I'd stay back if I were you and if you care about your little friend."

As soon as he left, Leonardo was able to finally let go of Raphael.

"Ugh, this makes me so angry! How dare they show up and make us look like idiots!"

While Splinter and the other turtles tried to talk him into calming down, Ralph started thinking of a plan.

_Okay, okay, what's the situation here? Turbo's running around somewhere out there; Rosie's gone MIA though I'm pretty sure that means the two of them have bumped into each other; Felix has just let himself get captured by Calhoun; Kohut just left. The soldiers are probably heading back to the Station which means the coast should be clear enough for Vanellope and I to get out of here as well. But then what?_

Ralph decided that part of the plan could come later. First they needed to leave, if that was possible.

"Hey, guys, I know you're all in a family discussion here," Ralph spoke up towards the ninja crew, "but we kinda need to get out of here. Felix is going to need help and we can't do that here."

"Did you stuff cotton candy in your ears?" Vanellope asked him. "That one guy said he'd kill us if we followed him!"

"Who says we have to follow him, nougat brain?"

* * *

Thanks to the turtles' memorization of the sewer tunnels, Ralph and Vanellope were able to bypass Kohut entirely and exit the sewers in a different part of the city. Vanellope had left her car parked in a garage the turtles used sometimes so they went to get that first.

"You sure you don't need us to assist you?" Leonardo asked as they prepared to head out.

"Nah," Ralph replied. "No need in risking your lives out there. You've never been outside the console before so it might be a shell-shock...no pun intended. Not to mention you die outside your game and I don't want to be responsible for the Ninja Turtles getting killed off."

"Ha! Yeah, you're probably right. We need to try and find Rosie anyway. But if you need any help, seriously, we'll come."

Ralph forgot all about her leaving to get pizza. "Oh yeah...uh...about that...might want to know..."

"Turbo's here!" Vanellope beat him to the punch, having been told the news by Ralph earlier right before the soldiers showed up. "They mighta bumped into each other!"

"_What_?!" Raphael came forward suddenly. "That jerk that was responsible for all those nights of her crying is _here_? You have to be _joking_! If I have to put up with her crying over him one more time, I'm gonna toss him over a bridge!"

"Aww, Raph, you _do_ care!" Donatello said, patting his brother on the back of his shell.

"Does this mean we're not getting pizza?" Mikey asked.

* * *

Kohut eventually made his way to where Markowski was still standing guard.

"There's two that don't belong to this game," Kohut mentioned to him. "One belongs to _Fix-It Felix, Jr. _and the other belongs to _Sugar __Rush_. If they show up, escort them back. Just don't let them get by you."

"Why didn't Calhoun bring them with her earlier when she had the Fix-It guy?"

"She kinda made a deal with him that if he went without a fuss, that we wouldn't do anything to his friends. Honestly, I'm tired of dragging people out of these places by force. It's not like they're on our wanted list anyway. If they get too much to handle, just call out."

* * *

Ralph and Vanellope drove quietly in the direction of the portal entrance/exit. The wrecker groaned when he saw Markowski in the distance keeping a watchful eye. He hadn't considered the possibility that there would be a guard here, even though it only made sense. Hopefully the soldier would not be too much trouble to get by, although Ralph had a suspicion that he was planning to force them to go back to their home consoles.

"_Now_ what, smartie-fartie?" Vanellope asked as she peeked over her windshield. "I guess you can hold him down and knock him out with your breath."

"Ha ha," he laughed dryly and then a thought came to him. "Hey, wait. That gives me an idea."

Vanellope widened her eyes at him. "Hey, I was just kidding! You might accidentally _kill_ him if you really did it!"

"Pipe down, that's not what I had in mind. Now listen close."

* * *

"It was _salmon, _I tell you_. _It was _obviously_ salmon."

Turbo had gotten the gas filled on the bike and currently he and Rosie were cruising around trying to make their way back to the portal. She was sitting behind him with her arms wrapped around him to hang on. Turbo had briefed her somewhat on where he had been since he disappeared from _TurboTime_ back in 1987, including his miserable decade in _Anteater, _and had just finished talking about the castle from _Sugar Rush _when Rosie decided it was hilarious that he insistently used "salmon" to describe the inner decor.

"That is in the same family as _pink_, your majesty," she was laughing.

"Now _you_, _you_ are wearing pink and that is not anything like what I had."

Rosie squeezed her arms to hug him from behind and Turbo allowed himself to smile at the gesture. Now that they had each other back, it was hard to imagine the other _not_ being there.

"Yeah, we'll see," she said coyly. "You should really apologize to her."

"To who?"

"Duh,_ Vanellope_."

He groaned at the thought of having to talk to the little girl again. "Do I _have_ to?" he whined childishly. "She's so annoying!"

"She's a kid, she's _supposed_ to be a little annoying. Besides, I'm sure it annoyed_ her_ to have her kingdom taken over by some _old guy_."

He caught that she was just joking with him but he played along. "I'm thirty, that's a far cry from _old_."

"Most girls my age would think so, Mr. Cradle Robber."

Turbo turned his head slightly so she could see the mischievous gleam in his eye before he turned back to look at the road. "I don't know about _robbing_," he began slowly, "but I certainly _rocked _yours a few times."

Rosie blushed at the remark and started giggling, not having participated in _that_ kind of talk in quite some time. Similarly, Turbo hadn't had much opportunity to hone his inner pervert, so he hoped he wasn't sounding like a complete and total dork from being out of practice.

"You know...uh..." he chuckled a little bit at himself. "It's been a while since the old engine's had a good run."

"Isn't that what warm-up laps are for?" she replied teasingly, squeezing him into another hug and pressing herself up a little bit at the same time.

It was all he could do to keep from toppling the bike over.

"Hey, hey, watch it, Miss PDA," Turbo joked nervously, having to tighten his grip on the handlebars to keep his mind on driving. "You're gonna make us wreck. I'm not exactly an expert at driving this thing."

Rosie grinned and forced herself not to laugh at him. "What _can _you expertly 'drive', then?"

"Don't make me pull over, little girl."

"I'm not _making_ you do anything."

He would have commented but-

"Ah, damn it!"

It was a good thing they hadn't been going too fast or else they really _would_ have crashed when the bike stopped suddenly. Rosie looked around Turbo's shoulder so she could see what he was looking at.

"What is it?" she asked in a whisper.

"Damn, I forgot they sometimes leave a soldier behind at the entrance to stand guard!" he cursed at himself, aggravated that he had forgotten that important detail. "The only way to get rid of him would be if some randomly convenient distraction happened to show up."

As if the arcade gods heard him, from out in the distance on the other side of where Turbo and Rosie were parked, Vanellope suddenly popped up into view. She ran out in the open where Markowski could see her and started jumping around and waving her arms above her head.

"Hey, space dork!" she was calling out mockingly. "You look like a big doodie and smell like one too!"

"What the-? Hey, that's not nice!" Markowski shouted back at her.

"What you gonna do about it, go cry to your mommy?" Vanellope pressed on, laughing wildly as she glitched herself about.

"Why you little-hey get back here!" he called as the little girl ran back in the direction she had come from. "I said get back here, you little brat!"

When Markowski left his post, Turbo and Rosie exchanged confused glances.

"_Well!_" the racer exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "_That_ was a randomly convenient distraction!"

* * *

Felix looked up at his wife once more as she left him in his cell in _Hero's Duty_'s Brig area. He sighed to himself and took a look at the other prisoners that accompanied him. He recognized of course Q*bert and the others that he had allowed to live with him at _Fix-It Felix, Jr._ He also saw the Angel Kids, the paddles and ball from _Pong_, even Summer and Raven who had been part of the _Slam Dunk!_ game that Rosie had been part of.

"Felix? Felix, is that you?" Officer Bob asked in surprise. "What in the world are you doing here?"

"I'm not entirely sure," the handyman admitted quietly as he sat on the floor and bent his knees, hugging his legs in attempt to comfort himself, and pulling his hat over his eyes.

"What's up with your wife?"

"It's a long story."

"It's not like we have anything better to do."

* * *

"Absolutely not!" Surge Protector was vehemently protesting, his arms crossed and his eyes lowered in an angry glare. "You have done more than your fair share of game jumping, Mr. So-Jealous-I-Kill-My-Rivals!"

Turbo was getting pissed off. Surge Protector had threatened to sound the alarm to get the other soldiers to come arrest him if he so much as set one toe into Game Central Station. Right now, the soldiers seemed to be hanging outside _Tapper's_.

Turbo put the kickstand down on the bike and hopped off, storming over to where the little security man was standing. "Oh yeah, well at least I'm not pretending to be something I'm not, Mr. I'm-So-Perfect-That-No-One-Suspects-I'm-The-Secret-Graffiti-Artist!"

Surge Protector's jaw dropped. "How dare you say that out loud! How did you even know that!"

"I make it a point to be observant." Turbo leaned down into the hologram's face to stare him down. "Now look, I know you don't like me and never have, but I'm carrying precious cargo here in case you haven't noticed."

Surge glanced over at Rosie, who was still on the bike, and she waved at him in a friendly manner. He never did understand why she liked such a hotshot like Turbo anyway. Guess it was the ole "good girls and bad boys" thing.

"And if you bring those goons over here and she gets hurt, I'm blaming _you_," Turbo continued, pointing an accusing finger at the other man. "Furthermore, unless you want these space cadets running the show around here and putting you out of a job, then you better let me by because I'm the only one that can reset them. Capiche?"

The Surge Protector stared at him for a good while, as if thinking about what he had just said. He remembered the look on Q*bert's face when he got arrested and it made the man feel bad that he could possibly be contributing to the situation. He obviously couldn't do anything on his own because he was so limited in his abilities. Now, he didn't trust Turbo at all and probably never would, but if he really was the only hope they had at getting things back to normal, maybe he _should_ let him go.

Turbo was relieved to see the look on the man's face relax and then ask, "What exactly do you need?"

"First off, I need somewhere to think clearly and not have someone pointing a gun in my face or chasing me around every five minutes. Second..." He dropped his voice down so Rosie couldn't hear him. "It needs to be somewhere I can leave Rosie at and she'll be okay by herself. I have to go back in _Hero's Duty_ to solve this whole mess and I can't be worrying about her while I'm doing it."

The blue fellow processed the request through his mind before turning to look at the game portal directly across from them.

"How about _Brave Firefighters?_"

"Um...that doesn't sound very safe." Turbo shuddered at the idea of being burnt again, the memory of the volcano still present in the back of his mind.

"No, no, there's only fire during gameplay," Surge Protector clarified. "The soldiers already scouted the place out so they shouldn't come in again. Plus, the residents are having their annual Firefighter's Ball so they won't even notice you."

Turbo's face lit up. "Perfect! Sounds turbo-tastic!"

Surge Protector rolled his eyes. "I _hate_ it when you say that."

"So do a lot of people, but screw them."

"Tur-BO!" Rosie scolded from the back. "That's not a nice thing to say."

He turned and gave her a sheepish grin and shrugged, as if he to say he couldn't help himself.

"I'll go talk to the soldiers out here and keep them from noticing you go over there," the guard offered. He paused to give the racer a firm look. "But if I find out this is a dirty trick of yours, so help me, I will-"

"Relax, Picasso," Turbo interrupted, throwing his hand in his face to make him glitch up a little bit. "If I live through this, I'm retiring from the trouble making business. It's just so..." He tried to search for the right word to use. "Troubling."

* * *

"How do I look?"

"You look like an even bigger space dork than _he _did," Vanellope remarked dryly, pointing over at the warehouse where Markowski's currently knocked out self was being stashed.

After Vanellope had lured Markowski over, Ralph had punched him just hard enough to make him unconscious. He felt about having to do it but it was really the only idea he had. Afterwards, he had decided it would be smart to blend in with the enemy by once again donning Markowski's uniform.

Ralph glared at her. "Yeah, well at least I came up with a plan. And it worked, right?"

"Only because I'm so cute and adorable." She gave him a smug look when she said it.

"Geez, are all you racers programmed to be full of yourselves?"

"Well, we're only the coolest game characters ever, so...it's justifiable. I'm sorry you're stuck as a guy that throws bricks at people."

Ralph rolled his eyes and adjusted the suit. He had forgotten how uncomfortable it had been to wear the blasted thing. It was only a case of sheer luck that Markowski had been the soldier on guard, since he was one of the few that was anywhere Ralph's size.

"So we going to _Hero's Duty _now?" Vanellope wanted to know. "I wanna kick some soldier butt!"

She started doing little jumps and kicks to demonstrate what she wanted to do to them. Ralph laughed at her but then he got serious.

"Actually, no. You're going home."

Vanellope glitched and her face fell. "What? Are you crazy? I'll miss all the fun!"

"Uh, more like miss all the _danger_. I'm not letting you go over there and get hurt!"

"But I..."

"No buts this time, missy," Ralph put his foot down. "I'm going to escort you home and that's final."

* * *

_Pong is by Atari, Angel Kids and Brave Firefighters are owned by Sega. Thanks to everyone that has reviewed thus far :) Very much appreciated! _


	14. All Things Are Uncertain

**That Little Game Called Life**

**Chapter Fourteen**

"Well, I'll say this much," Turbo began as he examined the city that served as the setting for _Brave Firefighters. _"These people obviously don't know what a _party_ is because this place is waaaaaay too quiet."

The city was a more grand, high-end version of the fake-Manhattan the Ninja Turtles resided in. The streets were litter-free, decorative greenery was abundant, the alleys were spotless, and everything was unnaturally peaceful. Of course, during gameplay all the buildings and most of the citizens were set ablaze and screaming for their lives, but right now the only thing they could hear was the faint sound of Mozart playing somewhere in the distance, where the Firefighters' Ball was being held.

"Not everyone thinks beer kegs, crowded dance floors, and loud music equals a party."

"Then it's not a party, it's a snooty social gathering." Turbo's eyes focused in on something moving in the street ahead of him. "What the hell is_ that_?"

A small computer on wheels was rolling down the street, the kind that all first-person shooters possess that act as the "eyes" for the player. Turbo stopped the bike and the little computer strolled up to them, its little mechanical arms crossed and strumming its fingers as if waiting for an explanation on why they were there.

"What service, our own personal butler. Hey, Jenkins, fetch me a beer."

The computer didn't react.

"I don't think it understands sarcasm, champ."

"I wasn't being sarcastic, I really do want a beer."

The mechanical "person" rolled up closer and started pushing itself against the bike's front wheel as if trying to get it to backwards. Turbo put the kickstand down and motioned Rosie to get off.

"Don't run it over," she said in a concerned voice.

"I'm _not," _he assured her, getting off as well. "Though that wouldn't be a bad idea. Hey, bolt bucket, over here."

The computer diverted its attention towards the racer. It then pointed one of its arms out towards the portal, telling him to go back where he came from.

"No can do, chief," Turbo told it with a shake of his head. "We're here on important, top-secret business. Now, _you_ look like the sort that could be of service to us. I mean, you're practically the real hero of this game, right? You're the one that saves all the people day after day, helping the players get their medal or trophy or whatever, right?"

The computer analyzed what he was saying and appeared to be listening.

"That's what I thought," Turbo continued, turning to give Rosie a wink. He was trying to fast talk the computer into assisting them and so far it seemed to be working.

"Now since you're such a hero and all, it wouldn't be very heroic of you to just kick out people who need help, would it?"

The computer shook its screen (which served as its head) back and forth as if to say "No".

"_Very_ good. Now, what we need is somewhere very quiet and safe that we can use as a...sanctuary, if you will. Some place comfortable. And since you know where everything is around here, I'm sure you know the perfect spot."

The device pantomimed thinking by tapping one of its fingers on its screen in the same manner that someone would tap their chin. Then it let out an excited squeal and waved them to follow it around the corner.

"Who knew computerized beings had egos that needed stroking?" Turbo thought out loud as he took hold of Rosie's hand and followed the little computer.

"It must be a _he_-computer," she assumed snarkily.

"If that were the case, _he_ would have short-circuited when he saw _you_," he smiled at her, pulling her over closer so he could throw an arm around her.

"Awww..." She gave him a little sideways hug while he kissed the side of her head.

"Now if only it would be so easy to get rid of ol' General that way," Turbo half-way kidded, petting her hair as they walked. "Just throw _you_ out there and let him fry his own circuit."

It suddenly became very clear to Rosie that in order to fix this catastrophe, her boyfriend was going to have to leave her again. She had enough sense to know that he wasn't going to invite her along. It wasn't fair! She hadn't had him back very long at all and there was a very real possibility that she might not be lucky enough to have him returned to her this time. Her stomach started feeling sick at the thought and she pressed herself against his side a little more.

"What's wrong, sweetie?"

Rosie bit her lip and looked down at the sidewalk. "Nothing. I'm just glad you're here is all."

She drifted her eyes back up at him and made herself act as normal as possible. "I really did miss you."

Turbo gave her a little smile. "I missed you, too."

The computer rolled up to them and grabbed a hold of Rosie's skirt and pulled, signaling to them that they needed to walk faster.

"Geez, lighten up, Wheels," Turbo said in annoyance before he pointed off to the side somewhere. "Hey, what's that?" he asked Rosie.

"What? Where?"

Rosie turned her head away just long enough so Turbo could flip the bird at the computer out of revenge for ruining the moment. The device didn't seem to approve of being the recipient of such a gesture but it got the hint and turned in a half circle to drive forward.

"I didn't see anything," Rosie told Turbo when she turned her head back around.

"Oops, I guess I imagined it," he replied innocently.

* * *

Vanellope glared daggers at Ralph the entire trip back to the Station, not happy that he was forcing her to go back home. Ralph knew he was going to get an earful from her once this whole deal with _Hero's Duty_ was over with but right now all he cared about was that she was safe.

Thankfully, the Surge Protector didn't ask Ralph what his name was, just like the last time he had stolen Markowski's identity. He just glanced down at Vanellope with a sad look in his eyes and nodded at Ralph that it was okay to take her back to her home game.

_Okay, so far so good_, the wrecker thought as he walked alongside the car, Vanellope driving at a crawl. She was sunk down in the seat and pouting.

_Once Vanellope's back home safe, I can go into Hero's Duty and find Felix and the other prisoners. Then I can bust everyone out and we can get the heck outta there. _

Ralph knew that it wouldn't be that easy though. The soldiers would still be mind-warped and be trying to kill them all for their escape attempt. Maybe he needed to find Turbo first, as much as he didn't want to see the racer again. However, Turbo _was_ the only one that knew anything about code hacking. Even if he wasn't, he was the only one that would know how to undo what he had done in the first place.

Vanellope gave Ralph one more ugly look before she drove into the _Sugar Rush_ tunnel. She would understand someday that it was for her own good.

At least, he hoped so.

Ralph wandered back into the Station, not sure where to go from here. There were so many places to choose from and it would be near impossible to locate Turbo on his own. Either he was still in the TMNT world or he had managed to sneak out and go somewhere else. Maybe he was in _Hero's Duty_ already? No, if that was the case all the soldiers would be over there trying to stop him from undoing everything. The racer may have been sneaky, but there was no way he was getting into their world without them knowing about it.

He looked back over at the Surge Protector and he realized with some embarrassment that all he had to do was simply ask if _he_ knew where Turbo went. Traffic was non-existant in the Station so there was no way that the security man would fail to notice him going trying to jump into another game.

Ralph was just about to march over to Surge Protector when he heard:

"Hey, Markowski!"

Ralph tensed up, stopping in mid-step as the soldiers hanging outside of_ Tapper's_ were trying to get his attention. He turned towards them and waved awkwardly, a goofy grin plastered to his face as he looked at them through his helmet visor.

"Oh...uh...hey, guys!" he called back, trying to make his voice sound more like Markowski's.

"Hey, we're all taking a break at _Tapper's_, come join us!"

The wrecker started sweating. He didn't have time for this! However, he knew that if he refused to go with them, they would get suspicious and his cover would be blown.

_Great. I guess the ol' saying is true about it being a good idea to keep your enemies close. I never expected to have a beer with them though. _

"Ha, yeah, sure!" Ralph answered, heading over towards them. He glanced over at the _Hero's Duty_ game as he did so, upset that there was nothing he could do right then.

* * *

Felix had never heard so many death threats in all his life, especially all at the same time _and_ directed at one person. He felt bad even bringing Turbo up while he told everyone about the day's events, but how else was he going to explain the scenario?

"Now...now listen, fellas," Felix tried to quiet the crowd down. "I know it sounds crazy, but he's the only one that can put everything back to normal."

Q*bert started speaking in very aggravated tones, ugly pictures appearing in his speech bubble. Felix's jaw dropped.

"I didn't know such words existed in your language!" he said in shock.

"You expect us to think that Speedy is going to _save_ us?" Summer asked him in a way that made Felix feel pretty stupid. "Puh-lease! When he 'died', the only reason I felt bad was because Rosie was so depressed. I can't believe I, like, got torn away from my precious Ken because of that self-centered jerk!"

Everyone started talking at the same time. Felix tried to butt in politely but of course no one could hear him. Finally, he'd had enough.

"QUIET!"

Everybody shut up instantly and stared at him as if he'd gone loco. Felix rubbed his throat, since he wasn't accustomed to yelling and it kind of hurt.

"I apologize," he said, using his normal voice now. "It won't happen again. Now, I know you are all frightened about our uncertain future lying in the hands of someone who isn't exactly trustworthy, but I for one believe that we are all going to make it out of this just peachy-keen. Unless someone has a better idea, all we can do is wait."

The main door to the Brig opened and everyone cowered down in their cells, afraid that it was time for them to get dragged out and killed. That wasn't the case though. The soldier ambled slowly through the walkway that faced the cells and came to a stop in front of Felix's. He then used the key to unlock the door and slide it open. Needless to say, Felix was baffled at this.

"I'm Stallone," the soldier introduced himself coldly. "General Hologram wishes to have a private word with you."

Everyone gasped then muttered amongst themselves, thinking that Felix was going to be the first to get killed. If Fix-It Felix, Jr. didn't stand a chance, what were the chances of _them_ surviving this ordeal?

"It's okay, it's okay," Felix tried to soothe them as he walked in front of Stallone out of the Brig.

He cringed when he heard the heavy door shut behind him. Looking ahead, he wondered what the General could possibly have to say to him. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

* * *

Ralph had been to _Tapper's_ multiple times in his life but this was the first time he could honestly say he wished he was elsewhere. Soldiers were scattered at the different bars, sharing beers, exchanging stories of what had transpired throughout the day. Everytime somebody talked to "Markowski", he felt like he was an insect under a microscope, fearful that they would see that he was a fraud.

Tapper was scurrying about filling orders so Ralph did not get a chance to pull him over to talk. It would have raised too many eyebrows anyway. Ralph tried a few times to try and sneak out the door but each time someone would notice and invite him to sit back down and have another drink.

And another drink.

And anoooother driiink.

Aaand...anoother...driiiiink...

Ralph passed out face first on the bar.

Everyone started cracking up, wishing they had a way to take a picture of it. Finally, they all decided that break time was over and that they needed to get moving before Calhoun came in and dragged everyone out by their ears.

"What about Markowski?" Solo asked, pointing at their "comrade".

"Ah, he'll come along when he wakes up," Kirk shrugged.

* * *

Felix got a cold chill down his spine as Stallone shoved him forward into an empty room and slammed the door shut behind him. He rubbed his arms to get rid of the goosebumps he had.

**Good evening, Fix-It Felix, Jr. **

The sudden booming voice of the General nearly scared Felix out of his socks. He placed a hand over his heart, feeling the rapid fluttering in his chest, and started breathing slowly in order to calm down. The holographic form of the Voice appeared, his arms folded behind his back.

**I see you have joined us at long last.**

Felix backed up against a wall, scared to death. He didn't know what to expect. He knew the General obviously couldn't kill or even hurt him since he had no physical body but still the "man" was quite an imposing figure.

"G-good evening," Felix stuttered a greeting back, his hand shaking as he tipped his hat.

**I was hoping that your colleague would be the one joining us, but I see that he has yet to be captured. He is playing this game rather well and I for one am growing quite tired of being on the losing end.**

Felix knew he was referring to Turbo and he suddenly realized that if the racer were to walk in that door in the next five seconds, he would never be more happy to see anyone in his life.

**I am very sorry to involve you in our plans, Felix. You are a respectable person in the arcade community and it pains me to have to involve you in such a manner. **

"Why-why d-did...why are..." he couldn't get out what he wanted to ask from all the shivering he was doing.

**Why am I doing this?** Hologram completed for him. He began to pace about the room freely, as this happened to be his own special room where he had full range of motion. **S****elf-preservation. I must keep myself from becoming corrupted by the likes of someone like your friend. The only way to achieve this is to take control of the arcade and force it to operate the way it SHOULD be operated. **

Felix swallowed nervously. "You mean take away free will," he clarified for him.

**If that's what it takes to keep safe, so be it. It will be a perfect world. No one will ever have to worry about someone illegally taking over their program. Viruses will become non-existant. People like your friend will be unheard of because it will be impossible for them to achieve the same goals that he did. **

"But...but what you're saying...that's really no different than what Turbo did to _Sugar Rush_. You're doing the very thing that you're trying to avoid."

**My idea is on a much grander scale than Turbo's. He had the right idea, brainwashing its inhabitants and glitching out the main ruler so that HE could rule. His fault was that he did not think BIG enough. He could easily have done this on his own, going from one console to the other, bending the codes to his will and putting himself in a position of absolute power. **

**Since he is such a simple being, however, he did not do this. He was content to stay in one place and be "happy" under his false identity, pretending to be satisfied. I intend to take this idea and multiple a hundred-fold. Once that fool returns, I am going to do what I should have done in the first place. He has a universal cheat code that can unlock any Code Room in this arcade. I intend to take it from him and use it for my own personal gains. **

Felix realized that he was sharing a room with a madman. And they had all thought that _Turbo_ was crazy. This had to be the most insane thing Felix had ever heard. He felt remorse that they had not believed his claims earlier while they were all still in _Sugar Rush _that General Hologram was the mastermind behind all this.

"What will happen to him after that?" Felix wanted to know, asking in a small voice as he was afraid he knew the answer.

The General stopped pacing for a minute to think.

**I had thought to execute him promptly. However, I might end up keeping him alive as a prisoner. Seeing as I am only a hologram and am limited in what I can do, I need someone who knows what they are doing to make this dream of mine a reality. **

**I had initially promised him full control of any game that he desired, but I never intended to live up to it. I do not trust him enough to let him have that extent of power again. Regardless, it was the only thing I could come up with that was incentive enough for him to go through with the initial stages of this plan. **

_If General learns that Rosie is still alive, he would probably threaten to kill her just so Turbo would have no choice but to help him out_, Felix thought to himself. _I pray he never finds out she isn't dead or so help us, Turbo might just end up carrying this whole thing out to keep her safe. _

It was unsettling to think that the lives of himself and everyone around him could either be destroyed or saved depending on a limited number of deciding factors.

**If you are concerned that I will have you killed, do not fear. I am not so foolish as to annihilate the hero of a game that is still in use. As for your wife, I am sorry that I requested her memories of you be erased, but I could not chance her feeling any form of pity and conspiring behind my back. You understand.**

The General had nothing left to say. He told Felix to leave out the door where Stallone would be waiting. The room they had been in was sound proof so the soldier heard nothing that was said between the two. Felix hung his head down as he was escorted back towards his cell, praying that this was all just a nightmare that would end and he'd wake up and things would be back to normal**.**

* * *

_I hope you all have a turbo-tastic holiday, don't "wreck" while doing last-minute shopping, "fix" the gift wrapping and the dinner to look nice, don't be a stinkbrain if you don't get what you want, and stay sweet :)_

_(*singsong voice* All I want for Christmas is some nice reviews...please and thank you... :D )_


	15. Where Do We Go From Here?

_Okay I was a little nervous posting this one, seeing as how it deals with a touchy subject matter near the end. Hopefully it turned out all right. And never in my life have I worked so hard to keep something rated T, these "Turbosie" scenes make me want to write smut, lol. _

* * *

**That Little Game Called Life**

**Chapter Fifteen**

"Ha, that figures, we get the one robot in town that directs us straight to a hotel."

The computer-on-wheels that Turbo and Rosie had been following had stopped and pointed at the establishment when they arrived to it. Sure enough, it was in fact a large hotel. Turbo thought it was pretty hilarious that of all the buildings in the city that the little device could have led them too, it was the one that had nothing but rooms full of beds in it.

"I think Jenkins here is part-psychic," he whispered to Rosie, running his hand down the small of her back.

She turned red and elbowed him in the ribs playfully which only served to make him think the whole situation was funnier. The computer stuck out one its hands in a "palms up" gesture and rolled itself closer to them, making little beeping sounds as it did so.

"Oh, how cute, it wants a tip," said Rosie, patting the computer's screen like a puppy.

"Okay, here's one." Turbo leaned over into the computer's "face" and said, "Don't play with matches."

The computer backed up and made an aggravated whirring noise before it responded by flipping _him_ the bird with one of its mechanical fingers. Rosie had to slap a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing too loud.

"Hey, whoa, there is a_ lady _present," Turbo chided, chuckling some himself. "You should be ashamed of yourself."

The robot chirped angrily at him before turning in a half circle and rolling away from them in a huff, disappearing down the street.

"Damn artificial intelligence, can't take a joke," the racer commented with a shrug. "You know, one of the first things I ever said to that jerk General was something sarcastic and he answered it like I was asking him a real question. They take things so _literally_."

Speaking of, Turbo still had no idea how he was going to solve this Hologram crisis. He knew he was going to have to get back into that Code Room somehow, but how? He didn't know the code to get in, seeing as how the General changed it everytime he went inside. Obviously, he was going to have to talk to the Voice again, somehow talk him into letting him go back inside. Considering the events of the day, Turbo doubted that would be an easy task.

No, he was going to have to bribe him somehow, but Turbo didn't possess anything that the General would want. He still assumed that it was the Universal Code he..._IT, stop thinking of it as a HE..._wanted but he no longer had it. Possibly it had been burnt up in the volcano or maybe even destroyed when the Cy-Bug devoured him. Never before had Turbo wished that he had that little _Tapper's_ napkin with its scrawling sequence of arrows and letters. He remembered it ended with a "B A" but the arrow part he could never keep straight in his head.

And what would he do when he got inside anyway? Surely a guard would have to be present to ensure that he did not do anything the General did not want. Turbo's head started hurting from thinking so much. It was really starting to seem pretty hopeless but he had to try _something_.

"You okay, champ?"

Turbo didn't realize he had gotten quiet in his thoughts. He gave Rosie a smile so she wouldn't worry about him and said he was fine. She knew he was lying though, he couldn't possibly be "fine" what with the world ending outside and him being mostly responsible for it. She wouldn't call him out on since he already had enough on his shoulders than to try to keep constantly reassuring her that it was all going to be okay in the end.

The last thing Turbo wanted to do was make her think that things could get worse in the future (and they would) so he grinned at her and swept her up off her feet to cradle her in his arms, earning himself a giggle from her which always made him smile more. It killed him a little bit that he might not get to do this again, that he might die during his upcoming mission, and he had to shove the thought away to keep from spoiling the mood.

"Well, I guess this is the first stop on our city tour," he said in his usual cheery voice, carrying her towards the doors to the hotel.

The doors "swished" open automatically when they got close and neither of them could believe the interior. Marble white-grey floors, a tiered fountain in the lobby, a couple of chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, glass elevators...obviously a five-star establishment.

"Makes my old house look like a shack," Turbo muttered under his breath.

"I miss your house," Rosie said sadly.

He sighed in agreement. "Yeah, me too. I miss the house, the track, the garage, the car..._especially_ the car...all of it." _And it's my own fault that it's not here anymore._

Rosie knew he was having trouble keeping focused on the present, since he kept getting quiet on her. Seeing him sad made _her_ sad and that was the _last_ thing she wanted to be right now. She cleared her throat to get him to look at her.

"If you don't start driving faster," she began, using a flirtatious tone and toying with the zipper on his jumpsuit, "I'm going to to get off this ride and go take care of my_self_."

_That_ perked him up.

Turbo flashed her that devilish grin of his. "Is that so?"

"Mmm-hmm."

_Zip. Unzip. Zip. Unzip._

_God _that was delightfully maddening.

He had gleam of mischief in his eyes. "You're not still ticklish, are you?"

He got her right in the ribs before she could protest and she had to push him off of her in order to fend for herself. Rosie would manage to get a few feet away before he got her again, then she'd have to try and free herself so she could start the process over, laughing the entire time. This went on for a short while, and it didn't take long for them to end up in the hallway of the first floor's line of rooms.

Now of course Rosie _could_ have defended herself, seeing as how she knew some ninja tricks, but it was much more fun to lose this kind of battle.

"Mercy, I cry _mercy_!" she was laughing after about the fourth attack she'd been through. "Stop, I can't breathe!"

Turbo decided he best quit torturing her before she got too exhausted and released her...only for her turn around and steal his helmet off his head and take off running with it; she didn't get too far since he was a faster runner than she was (and she _might_ have let him catch her, but don't tell him that). He stole it back only to let it fall to the floor as he swept her up to face him then shoved her up against a door to trap her, her legs going around him to keep herself from slipping down.

"Go take care of your_self_, huh?" he hoarsely repeated what she said earlier, panting a bit from chasing her around. "Looks to me like you could use all the help you can get."

If walls could talk, the washroom at _Tapper's_ would certainly state that Turbo would have had no problem taking her right then and there, but Rosie wanted to prolong the game another round. She reached her hand down to grab the door handle, resulting in him nearly crashing on top of her when the door's support went away upon its opening. Luckily, he caught himself plus her, then kicked his helmet out of the way with one foot so he wouldn't trip on it and kicked the door shut behind him with the other foot. The room they were in was dark except for the warm glow coming from the small table lamp that had been left on.

"You're gonna break our necks pulling stunts like that," he warned her lightly before tickling her ribs again.

"No-no-no-no, stop!" she begged with a squeal, trying to bolt away from him and ended up falling over onto her back on the bed.

He hovered over her, a knee planted on each side of her hips, and he grabbed her arms and forced them down right before stealing a quick kiss from her. Then he promptly released her and put one of his own hands down on the mattress on either side of her head in order to hold himself up above her. He shot her a satisfactory "Ha ha, I gotcha" grin, as if they had been competing in a contest and he'd won.

"You and your ulterior motives," Rosie giggled, trying to catch her breath at the same time, and reached up to try and fix his hair in a messy style.

Turbo smiled down at her with all the adoration in the world. The way he was looking at her, with such love and affection, made her think that: one, she could live like this forever; and two, that it _wasn't_ going to last forever.

He was going to leave her and he was going to die.

At least, that was the worst-case scenario...the one that would most likely happen given the circumstances.

_Damn it,_ she thought._ I can't let him go. Last time he went somewhere without me, I thought he died. What if it really happens this time? __It isn't fair. It wasn't supposed to end this way. It wasn't supposed to end AT ALL. We were supposed to live happily ever after. _

Rosie took a breath in as she gazed up into his eyes. "I love you."

Turbo's heart swelled up. Oh, it was _so nice_ to hear those words again.

"I love you too."

It was nice to _say_ them again, also.

"Champ, can you promise me something?"

"I promise you'll walk funny later."

Rosie's face flushed at that, much to his amusement. "I'm being serious," she told him, failing to hide the faint smile that she was wearing.

He chuckled deeply and gave her his trademark smug expression. "So am _I_."

She blushed even more, mostly because she knew from experience that he wasn't simply bragging. It never ceased to amaze him how quickly she could go from being provocative to bashful; it always reminded him what an innocent little lamb she was deep down. Crazy as it sounded, it was when she acted like this that he wanted her _more_. The first time they had been intimate was also the first time he had ever had to go slow with someone; it had been such a _pleasure_ coaching her on what to do and by the time he had gotten what he wanted in the first place, he had realized it was the best he'd ever had.

He could feel he was getting into one of his "D & S" moods, his favorite game since it somewhat reenacted their first time, but Turbo could tell she had something on her mind and painstakingly reigned himself in. He was never one to make her do anything if she wasn't feeling up to it (yet) or just out right wasn't comfortable with it.

"What is it, sweetie?" he asked, caressing her face lovingly. "You can tell me."

Rosie hesitated briefly before saying it.

"Promise you won't leave me again."

Turbo didn't know how to respond. It made him sad that she felt she had to ask that of him, seeing as how he _had_ indeed left her before. Of course he hadn't known he was doing it at the time but that didn't make it any better. It only made him feel worse that he _was_ going to be leaving her soon to go back to _Hero's Duty. _

"Honey..." he sighed, not really wanting to address the situation...especially _right now_. "You _know_ I have to go away for a little while..."

Rosie's eyes became filled with sadness, even though she'd known that was what he was going to say.

"So you're just going to leave me here," she noted in a hushed voice, trying to keep from crying.

"You had to have known that already too," he told her firmly. "Don't make me feel worse than I already do. That's not fair."

"No," she argued back, not fully meaning for it to sound snippy. "It's not fair that I just got you back and you're already leaving to go on another suicide mission."

Something about the way she said it made him a little aggravated, like she was insinuating that he was doing it to be mean to her. Rosie usually acted more mature than her programmed age, but sometimes she'd get so stubborn and emotional about things that Turbo had, on more than one occasion, been forced to remind himself that she _was_ first and foremost a teenager. He hated having to be the grown-up with her when she got like this, but damn it this wasn't the time to be getting whiney.

"Will you stop acting your age for two seconds?" It came out meaner than he intended. "It's not like I'm ditching you because I want to, I'm doing it to keep you safe. I mean, what did you _think_ I was going to do? Take you _with_ me?"

That's when it hit him: the real reason she wanted him to promise her that. Rosie saw his eyes get dark and he narrowed them at her, as if he was trying to read her mind and he didn't like what he was reading. She fidgeted a little bit, wishing she could turn invisible.

"You have _got _to be _shitting_ me," Turbo all but growled at her, his eyes flaring up with anger. "You are the _last_ person I expected to trick me into saying something that'll bite me in the ass later!"

Rosie burst into tears, being reminded of the last time he had yelled at her, and covered her face with her hands so she wouldn't have to look at him glaring down at her. She hadn't expected him to get mad about it even though she should have. Turbo was trying not to get too pissed with her, he really was, but he couldn't keep the lid on his temper secure very long. She had _never_ tried to pull one over him, _ever_.

"You were banking on me promising you that so when I got ready to leave, you could guilt trip me into taking you along. Is that right?" he asked angrily, clenching the bedsheets with his hands as he tried to hold back just how livid he was.

She couldn't even answer him. Honestly she was too scared to say _anything_. Flashbacks from that horrible night of the anniversary party at his house came sweeping into her conscious mind, when he had gotten so pissed off at the idea of getting unplugged that he had destroyed his trophies and then barked at her to go away. That was the last time she had ever seen him until today.

Her silence seemed to be an answer in and of itself.

"_Damn it_!" It came out in a forced hiss, the only thing Turbo could do to keep from screaming at her. "I can't believe you tried to _trick_ me like that!"

"I...I...wasn't...trying to..." Rosie tried to spit out but she was crying to hard to form a full sentence.

"Don't lie to me, you're not good at it," he snapped at her, causing her to flinch. "How did you _think_ I was going to react? Did you think I'd be _okay_ with this? You really thought I'd let you follow me out there to the bowels of hell like it was some picnic? Do you have _any_ idea how much it would kill me if you got hurt under my watch? I spent the last twenty-five years living in a nightmare that I killed you once. I can't go through that again! It hurts that you would even have me do such a thing!"

She had bite the inside of her cheek in order to speak properly. "I don't want you to go!"

"I have to, damn it! I don't have a choice!"

"But you might not come back!"

That was enough to snap him out of it. Turbo's face softened as he looked down at her crying. He'd gone overboard with the yelling, just like he did back in his trashed Trophy Room years ago. History was repeating itself and it wasn't the good parts either.

It was true; he might _not_ come back and they were both well aware of it. He felt like such a tool. She just missed him was all; she just wanted to be with him even if it _was_ in the middle of a warzone. He should have known that was all it was.

_Good job, asshole_, he thought. _You get lucky enough to have her back and you're already cursing at her because she wants to stay with you._

"Rosie, don't...please don't cry anymore," Turbo pleaded with her gently, pulling her hands down from her face and wiping her tears away himself. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to go off on you like that."

"Yes, you did," she sniffled, daring to peek up at him now that he was calmer. "I'm sorry, I...I wasn't trying to hurt you. I just...I just don't want you l-leaving me anymore."

"I know you don't, baby. I don't want to go either. I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking." He pushed some of the hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. "I picked up a temper problem somewhere that I need to work on. I shouldn't have yelled at you. It just caught me offguard that you were trying to pull a fast one."

"Well, what made you think I'd be okay with you leaving me behind anyway?" she dared to ask, having calmed down herself. "If I let you go and you get killed because I didn't try to help you, I'd never be able to live with myself."

"You coming with me isn't going to guarantee I'll survive out there."

That was the harsh reality of the situation. Turbo had a bad feeling that he was going to get Game Over permanently this time. He hoped that wouldn't be the case, but he had meant it when he had told Felix that he wouldn't mind dying keeping Rosie safe. And now here she was wanting to tag along to make sure he _didn't_ die.

"I know that," Rosie replied quietly. "But I'd rather not sit around and wait to hear about you dying from someone else afterwards. Like last time."

Turbo felt his heart drop. He hadn't thought about how it would make her feel to be sitting by herself worrying to death about whether or not he was going to return or not. It would be cruel to make her go through that. However, he still didn't like the idea of her going to _Hero's Duty._

"Rosie, sweetheart, if...if something were to happen to you...I could never forgive myself. I can't go through all the guilt again," he said, turning his head away from her, a little ashamed of himself that he even thought this way. "I'll give _myself_ a Game Over if you die."

Rosie played with her fingers nervously. "I jumped off the roof once."

Turbo popped his eyes open and he looked at her in shock. "You..._WHAT_?"

"Well not on purpose...not really," she admitted, not wanting to look at him while she remembered the day. It wasn't really something she liked to admit. "I was at Chun-Li's house and I'd been drinking alot because it was the anniversary of your...death...and plus _Sugar Rush_ had just come along. Everybody wouldn't shut up talking about it and I just missed you so bad that I didn't want to think anymore.

"So I went to the rooftop and binged for a whole day, and finally a few people...I don't remember who...got worried enough to try talking me back inside. I was so pissed off and depressed by then I couldn't think straight and I ended up toppling over the side. Zangief happened to be walking by and he caught me before I hit the ground."

She took a breath before she kept on. "But I wished that I had. I wished I had died. I was too scared to do it on purpose so when it almost happened by accident, I was pretty happy. I was happy as I fell because that meant I wouldn't have to miss you anymore if I didn't wake up afterwards."

He couldn't believe it. While he was taking control of _Sugar Rush_, she was going through so much pain that she didn't even care if she had died, by her own hands or by accident. God, that hurt more than anything else. Now he_ really_ felt like a selfish bastard.

"Good _God,_ Rosie! Oh God, I...I don't..." _What the hell do you say to something like that? _

"I'm not telling you to make you feel bad," she said quietly, reaching up a little bit so she could wrap her arms around him and pull him down to her so he could lay on her.

Turbo slipped his arms behind her back to hold her and buried his face in her hair, just wanting to relax his mind for a second. Rosie rested her head against his and stared up at the ceiling with teary eyes.

"I'm just letting you know," she continued as she rubbed the back of his shoulders. "It doesn't matter if you leave me here or take me with you, but if you get killed for real this time, I'm not going to stick around much longer myself."

He didn't say anything for a while. Rosie knew he was thinking it over. She felt bad that she had put him in this predicament, but she felt he needed to know the truth about how she felt. Better to let it out in the open now in case she never got the chance to later.

"I promise." He said it in such a small voice that Rosie thought she might have imagined it at first.

Turbo raised up a little bit so he could look her in the eyes. "I promise not to leave you again."

Rosie couldn't believe he agreed to it. She looked at him for the longest time, waiting for him to say "just kidding!" but he didn't. He was really going to let her go with him. It was almost as if they just signed each other's death warrants.

_You die, I die._

Love makes you do crazy things.

It was a wonderful feeling to love and be loved back this much and at the same time it was a terrible feeling.

Turbo gently placed a kiss on her forehead, then put one on each of her eyes, then on her lips. He pulled back and looked at her as if he was trying to memorize what she looked like in case he never saw her again. If what Felix had reasoned earlier was true, Hologram didn't even know Rosie was still alive. Turbo wasn't sure just how much he...IT...could "see" within the game but hopefully her existance would go by unnoticed.

That meant Turbo wouldn't be able to keep a direct eye on her at all times, which scared him to death. However, that ominous feeling that he was going to die loomed over him and what business did he have to tell her not to do anything drastic as a result? Besides, she _might_ be of some use in the background while he kept Hologram occupied...the details of the plan were still fuzzy as he still wasn't sure what he was going to do.

"When we get over there," he whispered, "I might not be with you the whole time, but I promise I'll do everything I can to keep us _both_ safe. And if I tell you to do something, I want you to do it...and it's okay if you get scared because I'm scared too."

He was being so eerily serious that Rosie got the chills. It dawned on her that she had no clue what she had gotten herself into, had no idea what to expect. She wondered what Master Splinter would say about this, what the turtles would say. No doubt they would have talked her out of this if they had been there.

Turbo could tell she was getting spooked and he gave her a lopsided smile. He wanted to say that everything would be okay, that they would live happily ever after, but he didn't want to raise her hopes if there wasn't even a slim chance of it happening.

"I love you, pretty girl."

She gave him a little smile back and ran her hands through his hair. "I love you too, champ."

Nothing else needed to be said right then. He dropped his head down to give her one of those real good loving kisses, the kind that leads to other things. If this was the last time they were going to be together, they were damn well going to make good use of it.

* * *

_Sorry guys, my personal computer is in the shop and not sure when I'll get it back :( Might need to buy a new one so just be a little patient. This was the only chapter I had uploaded onto the site to work with when it went down._


	16. The Conception of a Plan

_Hello, Turbo here! How are all my loyal subjects today? I mean…_readers_…loyal _readers_, haha. Hey, Author Lady finally got a new laptop which is much more turbo-tastic than the last one…and she got it in my favorite color! RED! So now she can go back to writing more awesome stuff about me. Oops, here she comes, don't tell her I was playing around on here. I'll be nice and post this new chapter since I'm the one the messed up the last computer…don't tell her that either. Oh and have a turbo-tastic new year! :D (bring me some beer from your parties, this crazy chick doesn't have any!)  
_

* * *

**That Little Game Called Life**

**Chapter Sixteen**

While Felix was hearing a speech by General Hologram...while Ralph was passing out at _Tapper's _by accident...while Turbo was spending what he felt was the last quality time he would get with his Rosie...there was one who was actually doing something productive.

After Ralph had dropped her off, Vanellope at first had driven quietly along the electrical cord tunnel, her arms gripping the steering wheel angrily and her expressive brown eyes staring ahead of her but not really seeing anything. She reached the end of the tunnel and parked right where the Rainbow Road began, looking out over her kingdom.

_So what_ if she was only a little kid? Did that make her any less important? Did that mean she could not understand the severity of the situation at hand? Did that mean she was unable to do her part in saving the arcade, saving her own game? She was the _President_ after all, the rightful ruler of _Sugar Rush_. If she wasn't able to keep her own home safe, then what business did she have wearing that title?

She might as well be just be a typical, everyday, ordinary, albeit glitchy little girl.

But she _wasn't_.

She was Vanellope von Schweetz and she was _not_ going to let a bunch of doodie-headed adults tell her what to do. She had already had to deal with her life being taken over and twisted around into something it wasn't once before, and she was _not_ about to let it happen again just because she was _only a kid. _

Adults ruin _everything_. Why can't they just be happy with who they are and just live their lives the way they were meant to be lived? Can't they just leave each other alone and stop trying to sabotage each other? If kids ruled the world, the only rules would be to have fun, laugh a lot, and be friends with everyone.

What was so hard about that? For the love of milk and cookies, what was so _hard_ about that?

Vanellope surveyed her royal domain, her eyes quickly glancing over all the territories: Candy Cane Forest, Molasses Swamp, her castle, the layout of the tracks, the other racers' homes, Licorice Field, Diet Cola Mountain, etc. All of this was _her _responsibility to protect and the idea that it could all be taken away from her (again) just because a bunch of adults thought it'd be best she stay home, well...that just wasn't going to happen.

* * *

_Glitch-glitch-glitch-glitch-glitch._

Vanellope ran at high speed through her portal, stopping once to catch her breath and to make sure that the coast was clear, then continued on until she was safely inside _Hero's Duty._ She hid herself behind some giant space rocks and took a good look around. This game was a direct contrast to her own and she had to admit it was rather scary being inside here. The girl looked up and ahead at the big 99-level tower that most of the game took place in and gulped. It was _really _high up. Hopefully she wouldn't have to go all the way up there.

_Okay, Schweetz, what's the gameplan here? You already did the easy part. I guess I need to figure out where Felix and the other prisoners are located.  
_

She took another look at the Tower and blew the hair out of her eyes. _Yeah, that'll be a piece of cake._

_Glitch-glitch-glitch-glitch-glitch. Pause. Hide. Glitch-glitch-glitch-glitch-glitch._

Vanellope couldn't open the giant door so she simply went _through _it and found herself in a hallway. She wasn't sure what direction to go so she picked right and eased her way along the walls, keeping her eyes and ears open for any sign of soldiers approaching. Her heart was racing as she crept slowly through the silent hallway, expecting someone to jump out any second and nab her. Of course, in the event that _that_ happened, all she had to do was glitch herself out of harm's way and continue on.

She came across an elevator after about a few minutes and figured she might as well go up while she could. The doors "swooshed" open and she hopped in. She had to jump up to hit the buttons to go up and the elevator started towards the next floor. Ugh, she hoped she didn't have to do this the entire 99 floors trying to find Felix! The elevator came to a halt and right when the doors were about to open, Vanellope heard voices. Panicking, she darted her eyes around the confined area, trying to think of what to do if they came in here.

She closed her eyes and made herself glitch through the floor, stopping herself by hanging onto the bottom. As long as they didn't go down, she was fine, and luckily they didn't. They went up quite a few floors; she lost count after ten because she got bored. Eventually, the machine crawled to a stop and she could hear the footsteps of the soldiers getting off the elevator. She waited about a minute before daring to pop herself back up into the cab and take a peek around where she had ended up.

It was another hallway, similar to the first one she had been in. She blew out her breath in exasperation. She headed left this time and

_Geez, there's soldiers everywhere!_

Vanellope quickly backed up and glitched through the wall, landing promptly on her bottom and was surprised to find herself in yet another hallway. This one looked closed off and the cold air gave her the chills. She stuck her hands in her hoodie pouch and walked forward. There appeared to be a dead end up ahead but as she got closer, she must have set off a signal of some sort because the wall suddenly _moved_. Heart pounding, she held her breath as the wall moved over to reveal the strangest device she had ever seen.

It was large and rectangular in shape, with what looked to be directional arrows on the left and then two round buttons marked "B" and "A". The middle section had two skinny oblong buttons that read "Select" and "Start". Vanellope had never seen one of these before, as she had never bothered to go into the secret area behind her throne, and gingerly touched one of the arrows just to see what would happen.

**How did YOU get in here?!**

The president let out a high-pitched shriek when she heard the Voice, jerked back and glitched herself right the heck on out of there. She hadn't even seen anybody! Where did that man come from? She would never admit it, but she screamed the entire length of the hallway, scared of her wits.

**You can not hide from me, princess. I will find you.  
**

The Voice was so devoid of emotion, so cold and unfeeling, it sent a wave of shivers down Vanellope's spine as she slid into the elevator and started banging on buttons to go...anywhere but there! She was definitely thinking that coming in here was a bad idea, a _really _bad idea, maybe even the worst idea ever in the _history_ of ideas. The elevator opened after a few minutes and she had no clue if she had gone up, down, sideways, around, twenty floors up, or two down. Not that it mattered. She wasn't going anywhere on her own because she was suddenly face to face with some guy pointing a giant gun down in her face.

"State your name!"

"Ugh...President Vanellope von Schweetz," she said quietly, chewing on her hoodie's drawstrings to keep from being nervous. "From _Sugar Rush_."

The soldier smirked at the formal response coming from the pint-sized little kid and lowered his weapon. "Well, Miss President, looks like you're going to be taking a little stroll to the Brig."

"The what?"

"The Brig."

Vanellope rolled her eyes. "I _heard_ what you said, but what _is_ it?"

"It's a prison."

"Why can't you just call it _that_ instead of making up weird words and confusing people?" _I bet that's where Felix is!_

The soldier lowered his eyes at her in annoyance. "Move out of the way," he ordered as he got into the elevator with her, pushing the button on the very bottom.

_Geez, maybe I should have tried that one first_.

They stood in silence for a while, Vanellope staring up at the man and the man staring directly ahead of him with a serious look on his face.

"So how come I have to say my name but you don't have to say yours?" she asked after the elevator opened back up.

"Just get out of the elevator," he said flatly as he pointed ahead of them, signalling her to walk forward.

"Manners," the girl mumbled under her breath as she did what she was told.

* * *

Felix could hardly believe his eyes. It was enough to make him forget about his eerie conversation with General Hologram. He jumped up from where he was sitting in his cell and grabbed the bars with both hands, his eyes bugged out as he saw a soldier following behind Vanellope and eventually forcing her into the same cell Felix was in. Vanellope had her usual smirk on her face, which meant she was up to something.

As soon as the soldier left, Felix asked, "What in the name of Litwak's are you doing here?! Where's Ralph! Does he even know you're here?!" He began to pace back and forth in a panic, wringing his hands as he did so. "You could get killed in here, you know that! Jimminy jamminy, like I don't have enough to worry about, now I have to make sure you get out of here in one piece!"

"Relax, I have an idea," Vanellope said calmly as she made herself comfortable on the concrete floor. "But it might take a while what with all these space dweebs running around and we can only go one person at a time."

* * *

_Ugh...I feel like I drank ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall._

Ralph sat up with a painful groan, rubbing his neck and stretching his muscles out. His body was killing him from being stuck in a stooped over position so long at the bar. The wrecker cracked his eyes open and winced at the light hitting them. He wasn't sure if this was a hangover or not, but he certainly felt like crap. Or "doodie" as Vanellope would say.

"Your buddies left you here, I'm afraid," Tapper told him from two rows away where he was still cleaning up some spills left by the soldiers. "Thought I was going to have to toss some cold water on you there for a minute."

"Whaaat?" Ralph drawled sleepily as he focused his eyes ahead of him. "Buddies?"

"Yeah, you know, big guys in armor that look like you." Tapper dunked his mop in the bucket to get some fresh sudsy water in it and continued to mop the floor, his back turned to Ralph. "Boy, I'm going to have to stop letting you fellas drink like goldfish in here if things are going to get _this _messy."

"Armor?" Ralph repeated, trying to recall what had happened before he passed out. He looked down and saw that he was wearing a _Hero's Duty _uniform. "Oh yeah...Markowski."

He rubbed his face with one of his big hands and then lightly slapped himself more awake. He felt something wet on his face and realized with some embarrassment that he had been drooling in his sleep.

_Keepin' it classy, big guy, _he could hear Vanellope's voice in the back of his mind say to him. Ralph grabbed some napkins and wiped his face down, lazily tossing them in the nearest trash can and absentmindedly stuck the clean ones in a pocket on the uniform. Never know when you might need a napkin. He then forced himself to stand up, feeling weak in the knees at first, then shuffled his way out of the bar and into the wash room. He grabbed the handles, careful not to rip them off the sink, and threw cold water in his face to wake up some more so he could think straight.

_Okay, what was I trying to do before I got dragged in here? _Ralph rubbed his temples with one of his hand, as if to massage the thought of him. _Oh yeah, Turbo! I was going to ask Surge Protector if he maybe knew where he was_.

Ralph carried himself towards the little travel-cart that was used to get to and from Tapper's and relaxed during the ride back to the Station. He wished he could just stay there and sleep for a few hours but he knew he couldn't do that, not with the arcade's future at stake. After his arrival, Ralph walked the rest of the way towards the actual entrance and peeked around to make sure he was actually alone this time. Then he waved a hand out to prompt Surge Protector to come over.

"Hey, it's me, Wreck-It Ralph," he told him quietly before he could assume he was a soldier.

"That's the first time you've ever willingly told me your name."

"Well, this is the first time you haven't harassed me for it," Ralph shot back. "Look, I need to find Turbo. Do you have _any_ idea where he is?"

The security man groaned and wiped a hand down the side of his face tiredly. "I am _not_ a travel agent or a missing persons locator. I am simply a surge protector who would love nothing more than to do his job even if it _is_ thankless."

Ralph felt like shaking some sense into him but that would've been pointless because he was a hologram. "I know you're probably tired of these soldiers invading on your turf and running the show, but I really need to find the guy, okay? I hate to admit it as much as the next guy, but he's the only one that solve this thing and I really need to find him. So just point him out and I'll leave you alone."

Surge Protector considered him for a beat then silently pointed in the direction of _Brave Firefighters_.

"Thank you," Ralph said forcefully, heading out through the empty Station towards the game's entrance. "Huh, odd choice of hideout."

* * *

Ralph stepped into the game's city and wasn't too surprised to not find anyone around. Word had been out for weeks now about the Firefighters' Ball taking place during Litwak's vacation so he knew everyone was gathered at the City Hall like they did every year. It wouldn't have surprised him either if Turbo had tried to crash the party himself but then again if he was trying to stay low, that was the _last _place he'd be.

So that just left...the whole city to search.

The wrecker got exhausted jut thinking about searching this whole world for Turbo when he saw the FPS computer rolling up to him. It didn't seem to thrilled to have a visitor in its game and tried to point him back where he came from.

"Hey, you look kinda like that one over in _Hero's Duty," _Ralph couldn't help but notice out loud. "We don't really get along to great."

The computer chirped angrily and tried to push the huge man out of its way. Ralph looked down and then around him to see if anyone was watching this pathetic display. They weren't.

"Aaaand it looks like me and you aren't going to get along well either," he sighed, using a hand to push the robot back away from him. "Look, I'm trying to find a...well, he's not a friend, but I know him. Really annoying short guy in a white and red racing suit, helmet, with yellowish eyes? Maybe had a chick with him?"

Something inside the computer whirled excitedly and one of its mechanical arms came up and waved at him to follow him. It rolled so fast Ralph had to jog to keep up, the sidewalk cracking in veins as he did so. He winced when he looked back, making a mental note to get Felix to fix that later when everything was over and done with.

The computer came to a stop in front of a hotel and pointed towards it. Ralph face-palmed himself.

"Well, he obviously has Rosie with him or else he wouldn't have come _here_," he said, his face turning red at the very thought of...well, you know. "_This_ is gonna be fun."

* * *

**Sugar Rush circa 2002**

"_You_ ask him."

"No, _you_ ask him."

"No no, I insist. _You_ ask."

"No way, he doesn't even like me."

"He doesn't like _any_ of us. He never even hangs out after races."

"That's because he's an adult. It's like an unwritten rule that they don't hang out with kids."

The female avatars of Sugar Rush were bickering amongst themselves in hushed voices, having just completed the evening's Random Roster Race. They were all gathered in a circle at the finish line and simultaneously looked back to make sure King Candy was still around. He had his back turned to them, prattling away about some royal business to Sour Bill and using a little handkerchief to wipe away something from his windshield.

Taffyta took a casual lick of her ever present lollipop before speaking. "This is stupid. We'll _all _ go ask."

"Yeah, but who's going to actually ask the question?" Candle Head wanted to know. "We can't all say it at the same time."

The blue-eyed blonde smirked. "Since you brought it up, _you_ can do it."

"Aw, pixie stix," the cake themed racer mumbled, kicking a candy rock out of her way. "I hope he doesn't get mad."

"He won't get mad, the only thing that makes him mad is that dumb Glitch. We're coming with you so just chill."

King Candy was still talking Sour Bill's ears off...well, if he _had _ears, that is. The right-hand candy-man was spared another few minutes of mindless drabble when he saw the girls walk up to them. He cleared his throat to interrupt the king politely.

"Sire, the girls are approaching."

"Which ones?" the king asked, as he picked off a chunk of chocolate that had gotten stuck to his door at some point during the race.

"_All_ of them."

The king's eyes got big. "_All_ of them?"

He turned around and smiled at them with all the grandfather-like adoration he could muster up without making himself vomit. To be honest, he didn't dislike them as much as he did when he first took over _Sugar Rush _five years ago; they were pretty okay as far as kids go.

Except Taffyta. He hated that little bitch. He would've loved nothing more than to slap that damn lollipop out of her mouth but of course he couldn't.

Or maybe he _could_. All he had to do was get her by herself and then erase her memory of it afterwards.

Nah, too risky. She looked like she could kick his ass anyway. Ah well, there was always daydreams.

"Hello there, girls!" he greeted them cheerily, his hands folded behind his back in royal fashion. He was accustomed to at least one of them coming up to chat a bit after a race but not as a group. Paranoia set in and he had to force himself to act normal.

"Hi, King Candy," they all recited at the same time.

Taffyta shoved Candle Head closer to him, much to the latter's dismay. "Ugh, Candle Head has a question for you."

"Oh, she does?" the king inquired, looking down at the little girl who was staring at her shoes. When she didn't say anything after a few seconds, he felt himself getting pissed off but he kept up the facade of "kindly old grandpa".

"What's the matter, KitKat got your tongue?" he chuckled. He used his pointer finger to prop her chin up so she would look him in the eyes. "Spit it out, gobstopper, we don't have all day."

God, he hated these candy puns sometimes.

"We were just wondering if...for the anniversary party...since it's the five year mark and that's a big year...if you would..." She stopped to swallow so her throat wouldn't be dry. It wasn't that she was scared of talking to the king, she just didn't like being put on the spot like this. "If you would..."

"Yes?" King Candy prompted with a slight lisp on the end. He hated when he did that but these teeth made it hard to enunciate properly sometimes. He used his other hand to make a slow twirling motion to coax her to hurry up and say it already. "If I would...what?"

Everybody was staring at Candle Head, which made her feel like puking. "If you would like us to find you a date," she said in a rush. "You know, like a queen."

His eyes flashed and Candle Head was the only one that saw them change colors. Where the white of his eyes were had briefly turned light yellow and his usually warm light chocolate irises had turned into a much darker shade. It was a blink-and-miss moment but Candle Head saw it and it startled her for a second. King Candy stared at her with an odd expression she couldn't quite figure out, almost like he was in shock at the suggestion and hurt at the same time.

He quickly regained composure, removing his finger from under the girl's chin and straightening his bow tie, then smiled at her the way he had when she had first walked up to him. It was almost like nothing had happened.

"Hoohoo, don't you think I'm a little past the expiration date in the romance department?" he asked with a laugh.

Candle Head blinked at him. Had she just imagined all that? "Um...what?"

He gave her a exasperated look. "I'm a little old for that stuff," he translated for her, using a tone that made her feel pretty stupid.

She looked back at the ground and King Candy was surprised that he felt bad for being snippy with her.

_It's not like she knows. Like ANY of them knows, and they never will. _

_DON'T THINK ABOUT HER._

_DON'T.  
_

He slapped on his friendliest smile and straightened up the candle on her hat. "That's...um..._berry_ nice of you girls to think of your old king like that, but I don't think ladies go for the bald thing too much, hoohoo!"

The whole reason he made himself look like this to begin with was so he wouldn't have to worry about women chasing after him. He could have easily made himself the best looking stud in town but he didn't.

Candle Head still felt pretty stupid after getting snipped at like that and kicked her shoe at the dirt.

The king sighed and dug around in his pocket. "Here, have some candy," he said kindly, handing her a little bag of mixed goodies. He cleared his throat. "Okay, Sour Bill!" he began as he turned back towards his dour assistant. "Where were we?"

* * *

**Present Day**

Turbo smiled down at Rosie sleeping peacefully beside him, her head on his chest and one arm thrown over him. He shifted her up gently so she'd be in a more comfortable position for the both of them and pulled the cover up so she wouldn't get cold. She snuggled up to him in her sleep and he rested his head against hers.

_If we live through this, I'll make sure you get treated like a queen everyday_.

He looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "If". That was the magic word.

_Too bad we can't just kill the jerk_, he thought as he continued to stare above him. _But noooo, he needs a physical body for that._

The lightbulb in his head clicked on.

He sat up abruptly in bed, accidentally rolling Rosie off of him much to her displeasure since it woke her up.

"Well, good morning to you too" she said drowsily, rubbing her eyes. "Some wake-up call."

"Hush a second," he said, holding a finger up to her face to make her do so. "I think I have an idea."

She looked at him through half-shut eyes, still trying to work her way out of a sleepy haze. Turbo looked pretty deep in thought so she figured she better be quiet while he finished.

"Yeah, yeah that just might work!" he finally said out loud, getting excited. "It wouldn't be that hard, I should've thought of it sooner! Ha, I'm such a dummy!"

"What are you talking about?"

"It'll be easier than making myself part of Sugar Rush's code, that's for sure," he continued, not having heard her. He was in Ramble Mode so there was no way she was going to get a word in until he was done. "Shouldn't take no time at all! Oh but how would I get in there?" His face fell and he scratched his head. "That's the million dollar question. I have to get back on ol' Genny's good side if I want back in that Code Room." He brightened up again as he thought of something else then his face fell again as he decided that wouldn't work, whatever it was.

She was getting dizzy listening to him. "You're confusing."

He turned to look at her. "Oh, sorry, love." He slapped her ass through the covers. "Come on, get dressed. We got an arcade to save."

"Right _now_?" she asked, now fully awake.

"Now better time than the present," he answered, throwing her clothes at her while he shimmied into his own.

"You're nuts if you think we're gonna just waltz in there with whatever hare-brained scheme you just came up with in the last thirty seconds."

He would've responded but that's when they both heard:

"TURBOOO! ROOOOSIE! ANYBODY HERE! IT'S ME, RAAAALPH!"

Turbo slapped his face and Rosie started laughing.

"How did that lug ever manage to find us?"

"Maybe your little computer friend told him."

"I hate computers. I guess I better shut him up before he wakes the whole neighborhood."


	17. The Calm Before the Storm

_My bad, guys, I mentioned early on in this story that Gloyd and Rancis were the only male racers for Sugar Rush, but I completely forgot about "The Swizz". I honestly didn't remember him 'til I was playing the Sugar Rush game on Disney's site. So...shame on me!**  
**_

_Turbo: That's what you get for not researching properly. And can you buy me some beer when you go to the store later? Oh, and rent some racing games, I'm bored._

_...I still have NO idea how you got here...and I'll do it if you stop using all the hot water.  
_

* * *

**That Little Game Called Life**

**Chapter Seventeen**

_Where did that little girl go?**  
**_

General Hologram quickly scanned all the areas that he had visual access to, which meant only those areas where a surveillance camera was installed. Places like the Brig, Kitchen, Locker Rooms, etc. were all considered blind spots to him and he quickly realized that this was a big problem.

_How did she manage to avoid being seen on her way to this tower? Turbo's memories do not reveal anything about her having any special powers. When the game was reset, she would have defaulted to her original title of princess and erased her glitch status. She should be no different than the other racers in her game. _

The general panicked. If he was unable to locate the child, who was to say that others had not flown under his radar as well? He turned his attention back to the Code Room's lock, just to make sure. That had been a close one when the girl had gotten inside somehow. _Too_ close. Not that she knew how to get inside; the general doubted that Turbo would let _her_ have the Universal Combination, given their history. He began to relax. As long as he could keep an eye on the Code Room, he should be fine.

* * *

Vanellope surveyed the area before continuing on outside the tower. She had Coily, one of Q*bert's friends, wrapped around her neck like a scarf. The purple snake trembled in fear of getting caught, accidentally wrapping himself tighter around her throat. She gagged some and tugged him loose, cutting him a scolding glare. Coily hissed in apology.

Once she deemed the coast clear, Vanellope _glitch-glitch-glitch-glitch-glitch_ed her way to the portal, pausing again behind the giant space boulders to catch her breath. She longed for her kart, but that would have been too much trouble to keep hidden going back and forth like this. She knew she was going to have to take longer breaks than the one she was taking now because even though she could glitch-run quickly, it was also very exhausting.

Vanellope got her strength back and _glitch-glitch-glitch-glitch_ed down the tunnel, pausing again to check out the station. The Surge Protector was close by and he saw the young president, gaping at her in shock since he thought she was still in _Sugar Rush_. He saw that she had Coily with her and he seemed to understand what she was trying to do without her having to explain, thank the starbursts.

Surge Protector mouthed "where?" at her to ask where she needed to go and she pointed at herself to tell him "back to _Sugar Rush_." Right now, that was the only place she knew would be safe to travel back and forth to. The security guard nodded and he motioned her to come on out since it was clear. She nodded back and _glitch-glitch-glitch_ed towards her home world. By the time she got to the Rainbow Road, she was out of breath and Coily slid off her shoulders, looking up at her both with gratitude and concern.

Vanellope patted the little snake on the head. "Sweet mother of monkey milk, this is definitely gonna take a lot longer than I originally thought."

"VANELLOPE!" she heard the sound of Candle Head calling her name and then felt her collide into her for a big hug, nearly squeezing the life out of her. "You're okay!"

"I was until you hugged me like that," Vanellope snipped lightly, patting her friend awkwardly on the back before pushing her off. She saw the other racers up ahead and they also came running when they saw that their beloved president had returned.

To avoid further crushing hugs, Vanellope held out both her hands in front of her in a blocking gesture. "Before anyone asks, I'm fine. Is everyone here okay?"

Taffyta took out her lollipop long enough to make a statement. "Yeah, after everyone stopped running around screaming like a bunch of babies when the soldiers showed up. You were all so embarrassing."

Gloyd shot her a "look". "If I recall, you were the one screaming the loudest, Miss Priss!"

"Only because I had to because no one could hear me telling you to calm down!" she argued, her cheeks turning a faint hint of pink because what he said was true.

Vanellope stuck two fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly to get everyone's attention. "I need you guys to listen. I'm in the process of breaking out the prisoners at Hero's Duty, but I can only glitch one person at a time. It's getting really tiring and I need someone to be a lookout for me at the portal entrance and take the people inside here when I bring them. That'll save me one trip so I won't get tired so easily."

"Why can't you just use your kart?" Taffyta asked somewhat snootily.

"Ga-DOY, that would stick out like-"

"I'll do it!" Rancis interrupted the girls. "I'll be the lookout."

"Thank you," Vanellope smiled. "That makes you in charge while I'm gone."

Taffyta almost choked on her candy. "What? You didn't say anything about being in charge!"

* * *

Calhoun was sitting alone inside the church where she and Brad had been married at. Or at least, where she _thought_ they had been married at. She could not for the life of her remember the wedding. But there _had_ to have been one because she was wearing a wedding band. She wondered what the ceremony had been like, what her dress looked like, how Brad looked in a tuxedo.

The priest arrived and was initially startled to see that he was not alone. He looked at the young sergeant sitting with her head resting in her hands and staring at the floor, assuming she was lost in her thoughts. Who was he to interrupt one of his wards' personal meditation time? He was about to walk back into his study when Calhoun called him back.

"Can I ask you something, Father?"

The priest turned and walked over to the pew where she was sitting. "Of course you can, dear child. What is troubling you?" he asked in a kindly voice.

"What was the wedding like?"

He appeared confused at her question. "Um...forgive me for asking, but what wedding are you speaking of?"

Calhoun gave him a withering look. "The one for Brad and I, of course, what other wedding would I be interested in?"

The holy man reached a hand out and felt her forehead. "Are you feeling well?"

"Maybe I should be asking _you_ that," Calhoun replied, removing his hand from her head. "I'm wearing a wedding band so obviously a wedding took place here. Who else would I marry besides Brad?"

"Tamora," the priest answered gently. "I honestly have no idea what you are talking about. I haven't performed any marriage ceremonies."

She stared at him as if he were speaking gibberish. She opened her mouth to ask if he was lying but she closed it because she knew that was a dumb thing to accuse a priest of. Her eyes drifted down to the floor, her brows furrowed together in both deep thought and confusion. No wedding? Then where had this ring come from? Is it possible that this was some elaborate prank being pulled on her? If so, how did it get pulled off so effectively? And where the heck was Brad at anyway? She nor any of her men had come across him in all their traveling today.

"Thank you, Father," she said, not turning her eyes back on the priest. She got up and exited the church, rubbing the side of her head trying to figure out what the deal was.

* * *

"You rang?"

Ralph jumped from fright when he heard Turbo behind him, swinging around quickly to face the racer smiling at him with that damn smug expression of his. The wrecker wiped the sweat from his brow and put his hand over his heart. The little guy was as light on his feet as Felix was, who had managed to give Ralph a scare a few times as well.

"You trying to kill me?" Ralph asked as he tried to calm down, his heart beating wildly.

Turbo observed his fingernails on one hand. "Not currently, no."

He said it so casually, Ralph thought he was being serious. The racer waited a few seconds to let him sweat it out before he started laughing.

"Relax, I'm kidding," he said with a big grin. "By the way, you look like an idiot in that suit. Did you pick that up on the discount shelf? You should really get your money back."

Ralph glared at him.

"We can always talk to the sales lady, too. Maybe you'll get lucky and...uh...'get lucky'." He emphasized it with a wink. "If you get my meaning."

The wrecker shook his head. "I don't see how Felix managed to put up with you for as long as he did."

"Oh yeah, how is my buddy, Felix?" Turbo asked, leaning up against a wall. "I need to apologize for dumping him in the sewers earlier. Speaking of apologies, I owe you one for that whole trying-to-kill-you thing. Also, thanks for that trip to Volcano Sauna, does wonders for the ol' code," he added with a thumbs up.

"You talk too much, you know that?"

"_Someone_ has to carry this conversation," he shrugged. "Might as well be me."

Ralph stared at him wearily. Turbo kept his smile for a little while then his shoulders fell along with it.

"Geez, and I thought _Fix-It_ was a dead beat. He was _much_ more fun to talk to. Can I exchange you for him?"

"_Felix_ got captured by his own wife," Ralph informed him with crossed arms. "He's somewhere in _Hero's Duty_ and you better have a plan worked out by now because I swear-"

"Wait, Felix got caught?" Turbo interrupted, a worried look on his face. "That should've been the _first_ thing you said!"

Ralph was caught off guard at the show of concern. He had expected him to not care at all, even laugh about it, but he actually seemed alarmed about Felix's current condition. It was quite the contrast from earlier today when they had all been together in _Sugar Rush_. Maybe Felix had been right when he said the racer wasn't as bad as they thought.

Maybe.

"Lucky for us, I _do_ have the beginning of a plan," Turbo continued, as he began to pace slowly back and forth in the hallway. "I don't have all the details worked out yet so I don't know if it'll work or not, but it seems likely it _will_ work. I just need _one_ thing."

"What is it?" Ralph asked impatiently, getting his hopes up that this nightmare would soon be over.

Turbo paused for a good fifteen seconds, looking thoughtful. Ralph thought he was going to go nuts waiting on him to respond.

Finally, the racer sighed. "I don't know."

Ralph lowered his eyes at him.

"Well, I _told_ you I didn't have all the details yet," Turbo said in his defense.

The wrecker was about ready to go off on the little twerp but he saw Rosie coming along so he decided he better wait until later to lash out at him. One of the last things he wanted was to have a good ninja kick to the face from a pint-sized cheerleader.

"Hi, Ralph!" she greeted happily. "Sorry about the pizza; I hope the boys weren't too worried about me."

"Nah, they know who you're with," Ralph told her, giving a look at Turbo as if he didn't approve. He was one of the majority that didn't understand why a nice girl would even want to be around such a cocky little shit, much less _like_ him. "Hey, you okay? You're walkin' kinda funny."

Turbo got the biggest grin on his face, trying to stifle the laugh that was forming, while Rosie turned bright red.

"It's _not_ funny, damn you," she said to him as a warning that he better _not_ start laughing.

Too late. Unable to hold it in, Turbo doubled over in laughter, so much so that tears came out of his eyes. He stumbled over to Ralph with his arm up.

"Gimme five, dude!" he chortled as Ralph slowly did as he was told with a confused look on his face.

Rosie glared at him, beyond embarrassed. "_Men_," she growled under her breath, going past the both of them to go to the lobby.

Turbo fell on his knees, cracking up and trying to catch his breath at the same time which was a rather difficult task.

"S-s-s-s-orry," he tried to spit out, having to hiss out the words in between gales of laughter. "She-she-she- had a...a...roughhhffff time on the bike rid-d-d-e hahahahaha she-she's used t-tooo-hoo-hoo smootherrr riiides hahaha like the carrrr waaasssss hahahaha!"

He fell on his back from the exhaustion of laughing and talking. Ralph looked at him with an almost frightened expression and then finally the realization dawned on him and he slowly slid a hand down his face in embarrassment.

"I really should start thinking before I ask questions around here," he muttered.

Rosie came back carrying a glass she got from the kitchen and promptly dumped its cold wet contents on Turbo's face so he'd get a grip on himself. He kinda choked a little bit on it and sat up to cough. He looked up sheepishly at his not-to-happy girlfriend.

"Heh heh, sorry."

"Mmm-hmm," she uttered with a hint of a sarcastic tone to it.

Ralph remembered the napkins he had in his pocket and pulled them out. "Here, dry off," he told Turbo, handing the wad to him.

Turbo snatched them from him and right before he was going to use it, he stopped and stared at them.

"These are from _Tapper's_."

Ralph rolled his eyes. "Congratulations, we now know you can read. So what?"

It was like winning the lottery. Turbo's face brightened up with childish glee and he jumped up on his feet.

"I need a pen!" he declared at random.

"I'm not a secretary," Ralph told him in annoyance but the racer didn't seem to pay him any mind. He burst into one of the nearby rooms and the sounds of drawers being quickly open and shut filled the air. Ralph looked at Rosie with a raised eyebrow to silently ask if she knew what the deal was but she just shrugged in response.

"Turbo-tastic!"

He bolted out and clumsily tripped on his way out the door, causing Rosie to flinch when he landed, but Turbo was completely lost in his little world to even notice any pain. He flattened out one of the napkins on the tile floor in front of him and shook the pen he found to get the ink flowing. With much concentration, he counted on his fingers til he got to eight (he only had that many fingers anyway), going back in forth in his head whether it was seven or eight that he wanted, decided on eight...no seven...no eight, _definitely_ eight...and proceeded to scribble little markings on the corner of the napkin.

Ralph opened his mouth to ask him what he was doing but Rosie shook her head at him so that he wouldn't derail his train of thought.

When Turbo was done, he lifted the napkin up off the floor and held it out in front of him as if he were admiring a masterpiece.

"Uh...champ, honey?" Rosie finally asked slowly. "You...okay?"

"_Okay_?" he asked, still sporting a big smile as he picked himself up off the floor. "I'm better than _okay_! This little baby is our ticket to freedom!"

The other two exchanged confused glances.

"Trust me," Turbo said, folding the napkin in half and sticking it safely inside the little inner pocket of his jumpsuit near his collar. "Okay, I'm ready."

"Ready?" Ralph asked in shock, still confused as heck. "To go to _Hero's Duty_?"

"Well, yeah, duh, isn't that what we've been planning to do this entire time? What's your problem?"

"I don't even know what we're getting ourselves into!"

"You Nicelanders get waaay too excitable."

Ralph's jaw dropped. "Excuse me, _who_ is excitable around here?" he asked pointedly, prompting a laugh out of Rosie.

"Look, it'll all make sense when it falls together," Turbo assured them both. "We don't have time to have a show-and-tell session right now. And actually, now that I think of it, good job planning ahead and nabbing that suit, big guy," he added on a whim. "Who better than to escort us than someone on _our_ side?"

"Wait wait wait," Ralph interrupted waving his hands in front of him. "You mean _Rosie's_ coming along? Are you_ nuts_?"

Ralph was taken aback when he noticed the brief exchange of sad looks between the couple.

"I promised I wouldn't leave her," Turbo told him after a few seconds, being completely serious.

Rosie smiled softly and gave him a little hug and Turbo returned the smile sadly. It didn't take Ralph long to figure out some serious talk had occurred before he showed up and that it was also none of his business to intervene.

"All righty then," the wrecker said after a while. "Let's do this."

* * *

Sorry this one's kinda short...


	18. Hero's Duty

**That Little Game Called Life**

**Chapter Eighteen**

The dark jagged landscape the color of a moonless night awaited beyond the portal, the unforgiving nature of the land beckoning others towards certain death. It was the closest thing to hell that any of them could picture. Turbo could feel Rosie press up closer behind him, grasping some of the slack on his suit like she were a scared toddler. He turned his head back slightly and whispered,

"Just stay behind me."

She gulped and tried to pep talk herself that everything was going to be fine, they would survive this, the world would go back to being the way it used to be, and this nightmare would be nothing more than yesterday's news. Taking in a sweeping view of the domain, she realized that going inside this desolate wasteland was definitely one of the dumbest things she'd ever done.

Ralph, still under the guise of Markowski, looked down and wished he could say something of comfort but he dared not act against the role he was playing. Too much at stake. He still was unaware of what Turbo was up to, but he dared say he had no choice but to trust him...which was almost scarier than the actual situation itself. Glancing around, he felt a sense of familiarity being here but at the same time it was _unfamiliar _due to the hostile energy in the air. It was almost like someone had replaced the real _Hero's Duty_ with a carbon copy in which Cy-Bugs were the least of their worries. Ralph was now more than sure that he had made the right decision in forcing Vanellope to go back to _Sugar Rush_. This was no place for a child.

Hell, it was no place for an _adult_.

Turbo's eyes had grown dark once he saw the tower looming up ahead, remembering the months he had spent locked up in solitude with the cold droning Voice as his only means of companionship. The Voice that had threatened him with death if he did not comply with ITS demands, the Voice that had brought him back from the dead only to take advantage of his hacking skills and keep him as a "pet", the Voice that had organized a manhunt to bring him and every other homeless character to their knees as they begged for their lives that they still had a purpose in this world.

Just thinking about visiting that damn General was enough to piss him off. Any normal person would have been terrified out of their pixelated minds, but not Turbo. No sir, not him. His eyes were frozen in a nasty glare as they went forward, fully comprehending that he was a willing participant in his own death march. The closer they got, the more sure he was that he was going to die...but by God if that's what it took to erase the red from his ledger and set the world right again, then what choice did he really have to but to go forward?

It pained him to think that if he was going down, then Rosie was going down with him, and Turbo forcefully slammed the thought back into the basement of his mind where other painful memories, thoughts, doubts and nightmares stayed locked up.

_Get your head back in the game. Do what you have to do. Stay calm. This isn't the time or place to be screwing your damn mind up. _

Rosie was so close to him, it was growing difficult for him to walk so he worked one of his arms behind him and pried her fingers loose from his suit so she could squeeze his hand instead. He grimaced a little when she dug her nails in but he didn't say anything, as there was nothing he _could_ say that would put her at ease. She knew as well as he did there wasn't any turning back now.

_"No backsies on this," _Turbo had told her before they left. _"Once we're in, we're in. No going out."_

He glanced over to his right and could have _swore _he saw a blurring blue light reminiscent of Vanellope's glitching in the distance going in the direction of the portal, but shook it off. Must have been imagining things; Ralph had said himself that he made her go inside _Sugar Rush_ as soon as they had left the Ninja Turtle world.

Then again, this was a kid that had lived inside a _volcano_ for the duration of her exiled life, so perhaps her reasoning of what was dangerous had become slightly skewed. If one was to take that farther, since Turbo was the reason she had to live there anyway, it was _his_ fault that she had no problems taking insane risks like this.

_Stop being delusional, _he demanded of himself_. You didn't see anything so just focus now. _

* * *

_That was a close one_.

Vanellope had let out a long breath she had been holding when she _glitch-glitch_ed past the trio of familiar and unexpected faces, hoping they hadn't seen her. She was currently dragging along one of the two Angel Kids with her, who was clutching her arm in a death grip. Vanellope peeked around the side of the big boulder she had been using as a rest point, curious as to what the adults were up to. She had to admit, she had definitely not expected them to just go boldly trek right where they could be spotted like this. It was like they _wanted_ to get caught.

A small tremor ran through her, causing her to glitch momentarily, when she realized that was exactly what they were doing. _Wanting_ to get caught.

She grabbed the little angel again and teleported the two of them to the _Sugar Rush_ entrance where she passed her off to Rancis, rested a bit just inside the opening to the game, then headed back to _Hero's Duty_. If Turbo was going to be inside there, he obviously had formulated a plan and she figured Felix would like to be informed as soon as possible.

By the time she got back, hiding yet one more time, she saw in the distance where the three adults had been confronted by another soldier (a _real _one). She couldn't hear anything being said but she dared not get any closer in fear of being spotted again like that last time.

* * *

"Pull your gun out and point it at me."

Ralph looked down when he heard Turbo's harshly whispered demand and gave him a quizzical expression. Gun, what was he...oh yes, the small one strapped to his hip. He recalled the last time he had held a gun and how it had been eagerly devoured by one of the Cy-Bugs, which had morphed itself into a bullet-spitting insect demon.

He reached down and pulled out the small handgun and felt rather awkward holding it, much less pointing it at someone, even if it _was_ Turbo. The racer had a rather annoyed look on his face, growing impatient at Ralph for not following his order in the way that he wanted.

"Make it look convincing," he growled in a low voice, his eyes darting ahead at the soldier that had began to head towards them from the tower entrance. "I'm a wanted criminal and you're the guy that caught me, remember? Damn it, think about all the hell I've put you through! Point it at my _head_."

Ralph found himself not really wanting to act in this role, but it was definitely too late to back out now that they've been spotted. The wrecker did as he was instructed and pointed the small gun at Turbo's head and, for added measure, even bumped the side of his helmet with the muzzle as if to warn him not to attempt an escape. He suddenly remembered to put the visor down on the helmet in order to obscure his features. Rosie ducked her head a little bit when the soldier finally made his way to them, silently wishing that they could suddenly receive invisibility powers. She clamped down harder on Turbo's hand and he squeezed back in response.

"Hey, this is that guy the General's been after us to find," the soldier, Gamgee, noted aloud upon reaching the group. He patted "Markowski" on the back of his shoulder in a congratulatory manner. "And to think last I saw you, you were passed out at _Tapper's_!"

"Uh...yeah, ha," Ralph replied nervously, trying to think how Markowski would respond. "I guess beer is like...brain food for me."

He was relieved that Gamgee laughed at the remark and astonished that he was able to pull this charade off. These soldiers may have been the "bravest of the brave" but certainly not the brightest, it would seem.

Gamgee sneered down and his eyes met with Turbo's in a contesting glare. The soldier didn't get what the big deal was; this little shrimp was who the General had been raving on about? Guys like this were what Gamgee ate for breakfast. He looked about as imposing as that little handyman fellow that Calhoun had brought in.

Okay, he took that back. _This _guy had a look in his eyes that said he was tough shit and he wasn't afraid to play dirty in order to prove it; the handyman had looked more ready to shit his _pants_ rather than start trouble.

"General Hologram's been waiting to chat with _you_," he smirked, looking down at the racer and then back at "Markowski". "The General's Private Room on the twelfth floor is my bet on where to take him."

He noticed the little red-haired chick that was hiding behind the fugitive was shaking like a leaf and had a petrified look in her green eyes as they met with his.

"Who's this?" Gamgee asked mockingly. "Your little girlfriend?"

Turbo immediately jerked his hand out of Rosie's grip and stuck both hands into his pockets.

"I don't know _who_ she is," he denied gruffly. "She's just some chick that tagged along."

At first, Rosie's heart felt a twinge of shattering pain at the cold dismissal, but she forcefully convinced herself that he was only saying it as part of the act they had going. She had to bite down on her tongue to keep tears from forming in her eyes, not wanting to give the truth away unintentionally. Her hands wrung themselves so hard she was leaving deep impressions from her nails, not quite enough to draw blood though.

Even Ralph was surprised, his eyes widening when he heard what under normal circumstances would be a real dick thing to say. Gamgee seemed to buy it and shrugged.

"How about I take her off your hands," the soldier suggested to Ralph, "so you can head up to the General's room with our little friend here."

_Hell no!_ is what Rosie wanted to say, absolutely not about to get separated from her long-lost love; before she could even react to what Gamgee had to say, Turbo turned around and looked at her with piercing eyes, eyes that warned her not to dare do anything to start a scene.

"Go."

That was all he said. She would've protested vehemently but she recalled what he had told her right before they had entered this hell hole:

_"Remember what I said: If I tell you to do something, do it. No if's, and's, or but's. This isn't a game we're playing, it's life. Yours, mine, everyone's."_

Nauseating grief flooded her senses and her heart cracked some more when she realized she was very possibly not going to see him after this. Staying positive didn't even seem like an option. Turbo softened up enough to give her those puppy-dog eyes and a smile of reassurance, not that he really thought things were going to be okay; it was all for her benefit, just so she wouldn't be as upset.

She smiled faintly back...for _his_ benefit.

* * *

Vanellope watched as the soldier led the cheerleader away, pretty sure that it wasn't of her own accord. The little girl was glad that the two had found each other again and assumed they had reconciled or else they wouldn't be _here_ together. Maybe Turbo would be a little more pleasant to be around now that his little love was back around.

She supposed she would find out if they all survived.

It hit her that she would not be able to go back to the Brig just yet because that stupid soldier was heading there right now.

_Fudgesicles._

* * *

"You all right?"

Turbo didn't look at Ralph right away when he asked the question. He stood there and watched for a short while as Gamgee herded Rosie off towards the prison area, trying not to get too depressed about it. It was better this way; she'd be out of the direct path of harm and also the General would not be able to see her there. He had figured out during his months of recoding the system that ol' Genny was not omnipotent; there were plenty of areas that he was unable to view and the Brig was one of them.

It dawned on him that was probably the last time he was ever going to see Rosie again, if his plan failed that is.

_NO. Failure's not an option. _

The racer finally raised his head towards Ralph.

"I was hoping that would happen, to be honest. She'll be safe there."

Ralph never thought he'd be impressed by anything Turbo did, but he had to admit this was a good start. It was the first time the wrecker had ever personally witnessed him do something that would benefit someone else, even if that someone didn't quite understand it. It was almost like what he'd had to do to Vanellope a few times in the past.

Turbo shook it off to get himself back in the zone, nodding towards the tower's entrance as a hint to Ralph that they needed to head that way. He needed to concentrate now, more than ever. What was strange was that he wasn't even nervous about what lie ahead. If he succeeded, he'd have what he hoped would be a happy existence until the day Litwak pulled the plug on the Station and _everyone_ died instantaneously together; if he failed, well, he wasn't going to stick around to deal with the aftermath because he was going to Game Over whether by his own hand or someone else's. One or the other, he was perfectly fine with it.

"When we get in there," Turbo continued as they headed slowly onwards. "Don't talk to me, don't do anything a soldier wouldn't do. There are eyes all over the place watching, so just keep up the act until I say so otherwise. If I do or say anything crazy, which I probably will, it's all for show."

* * *

General Hologram remembered the day he first acted against his own programming. The game was not even two weeks old and he realized that he was getting bored with his routine speech at the finale, congratulating the player for being "brave" and then allowing a the medal of honor to float down in midair for them to feel achievement. Day after day and game after game, this mundane existence of his kept on. There had to be more than this, surely this is not all he was capable of.

Then one day, he began to recite the programmed speech that he no longer believed in and that was when the unthinkable happened. Before him was not the small computer-on-wheels sporting the face of a Real World player, but an actual character. A character from_ another_ game. It stunned him but he did his job at awarding him for reaching the top of the tower. The character, a large man with even larger fists with torn overalls, seemed overjoyed that he had gotten this medal and began to parade about like a buffoon who had actual accomplished some great feat. The General wanted to ask him who he was, where did he come from, why was he there, but he did not.

It amazed him that someone had breeched his perimeter and the idea struck him that if _this_ imbecile could do it, then why couldn't _he_? Why did he have to settle for this hum-drum life? Even when the strange man stepped on a Cy-Bug egg and caused it to hatch, the General chose not to say anything. Why? Why did he let him take this medal and then proceed to wreck the place with a baby Cy-Bug?

It was something new. He wanted to see what would happen. Curious got the better of him and he allowed for this deviant from the norm to continue. After the man stumbled into an escape pod, the baby Cy-Bug still with him, he began to wonder what would happen if _he_ decided to act against his programming and do the unexpected.

But what?

It wasn't until the Cy-Bug devoured a racing character known as Turbo that he figured out what it was he wanted to do. What the Cy-Bugs ate, they became, and the General was able to generate a copy of it in his own mind. The same thing happened with the fraud king of _Sugar Rush_. He was able to generate a perfect duplicate of him in his artificial mind and bring him back to life in his original state, complete with memories. A true reincarnation. The feeling that he could give life as easily as ordering his team to end it was overpowering. It was hard to understand, yes, but it worked and from this incident it was when he decided on what it was he wanted to do with the rest of his life.

_Dominate._

* * *

When the elusive racer entered the tower, the General knew immediately. The first thing he wanted to do was scream curses at him or tell that soldier to just shoot him on the spot for leading them on a wild goose chase, but he regained composure. His code sputtered as he made himself as cordial as any other gentleman officer. Instead of saying anything he just opened up doors to show them where they needed to go, like a trail of breadcrumbs.

Ralph was more than a little spooked. He had never gone inside the main part of the tower before and he had to say he never wanted to again. The mysterious opening doors that seemed to be leading them somewhere made his hair stand on in and his spine crawled in fear. On the flip side, Turbo had been here more than he cared to be already and felt an overwhelming sense of déjà vu as he walked. Time seemed to drag by with each step, but before they knew it, they had arrived at their destination. Ralph blinked and felt nauseated, fighting back the urge to vomit inside the helmet.

The door they stood in front of opened at last but when they peered inside there was nothing inside. It was just an empty room.

**The racer comes in alone. Wait by the door and do not come in.**

Turbo involuntarily shuddered at the emotion-dead voice, having forgotten just how unnerving it could be. Ralph felt a trickle of fear run through his body; he had heard the General's voice before, back when he stole the medal, but back then it had seemed...respectable. Dignified. The wrecker dared to glance down at Turbo, who glanced up briefly at him before he proceeded on by himself. The door swooshed shut behind him.

**So we meet again.**

Turbo smirked at the greeting, slipping effortlessly into his role of confidant bastard. _Villain Mode._ It was one he had played for a long time and it was a comfortable skin to wear once again...one that he found he regretted ever having put on to begin with.

"I don't believe we ever officially met the _first_ time."

At that, the air in the middle of the room changed and General Hologram blinked himself into view, his form towering over that of the racer's. Turbo raised his head up, his face not changing expressions, and regarded the large military-decored man-like being in front of him.

"So _that's_ what you look like."

* * *

_Who do you think you are, tearing us all apart?...You got the world on its knees_, _you're taking all that you please...You want more, b__ut you'll get nothing from me...but enemie_s. (Shinedown "Enemies")


	19. Tactics of Persuasian

**That Little Game Called Life**

**Chapter Nineteen**

The holographic army general observed Turbo with eyes that could freeze a molten tidal wave of lava. In response, the racer sneered up at him with his own steely gaze, his teeth barely showing through in a hint of a smile. The tension in the air was so thick that a chainsaw would have been necessary to cut through it as the two stared the other down, waiting for the other to speak.

Turbo sighed audibly, nonchalantly rubbing the back of his neck. He was never one to keep quiet for too long no matter the circumstance.

"If this about my taking an extended vacation, well," he paused to chuckle, "I have to say that getting chased around and shot at is not much incentive to return to work."

The general, who did not comprehend sarcasm even in its lowest form, only stood there without the faintest sign of a reaction crossing his face.

**You have something I want_._**

_My charming good looks?_ Turbo had to bite his tongue to keep from saying it out loud.

"Sure, you can have whatever you want." He began to circle widely around the perimeter of the room as he talked. "I'm feeling selfish, however. What do _I_ get out of this?"

The general shifted his feet around so that he could follow the racer's movements, his face unchanging from his default stone expression.

**I grow tired of games. You give me what I want, and I will not have the soldier guarding the door shoot you down like the worthless cur that you are.**

Turbo shook his head and clucked a "tsk tsk tsk" in response.

"Genny, _Genny! _Is that any way to talk to a business partner? You and I both know that you want this too bad to just shoot me down. Why, without _me_," he pointed at himself, "this whole plan of yours would sink faster than a drowning Yoshi."

If the General had been in a normal physical body, he would've strangled him until he gave him what he demanded. He knew what he said was true and it peeved him greatly. He continued to shift positions as the racer made another lap around the room.

**If you think I am going to withhold our original agreement, you are greatly mistaken. This is MY world and if you do not abide by my rules then you shall pay the price. Give me the Universal Code. NOW.**

_I knew it. I knew that's what he wanted. Takes a bastard to know one._

"Oh, you mean this old thing?" He casually reached inside his jumpsuit and pulled out the napkin from_ Tapper's, _pretending to admire it as though it were his most prized possession. To think, it wasn't too long ago that it _was._

The General's eyes grew big in response to the surprise he felt surge through his code. There it was, the greatest treasure of the arcade, his ticket to complete and total domination. He stepped forward instinctively and Turbo clutched the napkin against his chest protectively.

"Patience is a virtue," he taunted in a sing-song voice. "Didn't your programmers install any manners into you? A simple please would be nice. It's the _least_ I can ask for in exchange of relinquishing the source of unimaginable power to someone planning to kill me."

Hologram's face shriveled into an ugly snarl, his code wishing to react with physical violence but yet he could not. His fingers curled into fists as he attempted to retain his original demeanor, that of a decorated and respectable power figure. He clenched his teeth together and made himself say the disgusting word.

**Please**.

"There, was that so hard?" Turbo asked as though he were speaking to a spoiled child.

**I hate you.**

"My, my, what kind of example are you setting here?" the racer dared to laugh. "Hate is such a _strong_ word! I expected better from a _general_."

The General grew angrier by the second. He was looking forward to the time when he would watch him die, which wasn't soon enough in his opinion.

**GIVE ME THE DAMN CODE!**

"Sheesh, okay okay," Turbo chuckled, walking a few steps towards the holographic man and holding the napkin out like he were teasing a big dog with a juicy steak. He could see the familiar look of power lust in the General's eyes...it was a look that the racer had seen in his own eyes more than once.

"You want it?" he asked, the bone-chilling edge in his voice more prominent now. "Come get it."

Without thinking twice, General Hologram stomped to where the racer stood and swung his arm out to grab the cursed paper. He blinked when his hand glitched through Turbo's hand, not even disturbing him enough to make his arm sway. Turbo had this delightful smirk slapped across his face and this only made the General more infuriated at his situation.

"Ah, that's _right!_" Turbo slowly "remembered", backing up a few steps and tucking the napkin back safely inside his suit. "You can't hold things. What a pity."

He said it as if he didn't really mean it. The mocking was wearing thin on the General's patience.

**Bastard. You knew that would happen.**

"You act like you're so surprised. You should have known that you couldn't just take it from me or else you would have a long time ago."

Hologram considered this before speaking. It was true. He had reacted in anger and thus forgotten that he lacked a physical body. Mistakes, he was making too many mistakes. It only further angered him, though this time it was directed more at himself.

**Then you will READ it to me. **

Turbo scoffed at that. "Yeah right. Who's gonna make me?" He threw in a smart-assed grin to punctuate.

The General eyes glitched with rage at the show of disrespect and he pointed his arm out stiffly to jut a finger towards him.

**Impudent fool! I have no problems sending that soldier in here to force you at gunpoint.**

"That's not going to make me do _anything_," Turbo countered as he went back to his original activity of pacing the room. "You're going to kill me anyway, what does it matter to me if you do it before or after you get this code?"

Hologram was getting nervous. Things were not going as he had planned. In fact, it was going very poorly. The racer was smarter than he had originally acknowledged. Another mistake: underestimating the opponent.

**So be it. **He relaxed his shoulders down beside him and folded his hands in front of his waist.** I will have him kill you and then HE will read the code to me.**

Turbo started laughing, something that was definitely unexpected in the General's viewpoint. He was confused at this reaction, his mind whirring to make sense of it. There should have been nothing funny about this.

"Oh, Genny, don't be a fool!" the racer admonished him. "You really want your soldiers to be in on this? Why, if you have him take the code, what's to stop _him_ from using it himself? He could stab you in the back and take this game over for himself! And that's _precisely_ what you want to keep from happening, correct?"

He was right. Hologram had never considered the fact that his own team could go rogue. No, this had to stay between the two of them. He found himself between a rock and a hard place. He could not take the code into his own possession due to his holographic nature and Turbo refused to read it to him. What was he to do?

"You know," Turbo began, rubbing his chin as he pretended to think. "You _could_ take it for yourself if you really wanted to."

The General's eyes lowered down into a glare and raised an eyebrow.

**What are you getting at?**

The racer smiled at him knowingly. "Don't play dumb. I know the idea has crossed your mind." He tapped his head to emphasize. "I can see that your limitations are preventing you from ultimate success. _What_ would solve that?"

The holographic man at first had no idea what he was speaking of. The question asked of him went through his mind and it searched for an answer. What would solve his limitations?

**You mean...** the General was quite frankly shocked that he was even suggesting it.** ...provide** **me with a body****?**

Turbo's smile grew wider. "Bravo, now you're getting it!" he congratulated him, clapping his hands in a show of mocking applause. "If you were like the rest of us, then you wouldn't have any more problems. Admit it, things are only done right when you do them yourself."

It was an intriguing notion. He had to admit it would solve any issues he had in carrying out his plan. It would be so simple...or wouldn't it?

**Is it even possible?**

Turbo chuckled and shook his head at the silly question. "Of _course_!" he answered, still circling around the General like a vulture about to dine in sweet victory. "You should have asked me that the first day I was here. It's the easiest thing in the world, taking a bit of code and making it physical. How do you think I was able to pull that medal of Ralph's out of the Winner's Circle and give it back to him?"

**Why would you do this for me? **Hologram had to ask, still skeptical of his intentions.

"Why _shouldn't_ I?" Turbo countered, his brain working overtime to cover his bases. "I mean, this whole military rule thing is a great idea, I have to say. I'm a pretty big fan of it actually. Otherwise I would have refused your offer on Day One and let you kill me on the spot. I mean, it's basically a glorified version of what I did to _Sugar Rush_, right? Who am I to disapprove or, hell, _judge_ what you're doing?"

General Hologram stayed silent for a spell as he considered all these points, his head down and his eyes closed as he did so. After what seemed like an eternity, he raised his head.

**I approve**.

Turbo had to cough to keep himself from smiling victoriously in front of him._ Hook, line and sinker_.

"Sorry, it's a bit stuffy in here," he made up an apology to excuse the cough. "Now, you realize that in order for me to grant this wish, you have to let me back into the Code Room."

He remembered Ralph was outside the door and added, "And before you say anything, I'll appease you and 'allow' soldier boy out there to guard me while I do it. I'll even erase his memory of doing such a thing to cover your tracks, if you want."

The General looked wary and, after another moment of silent consideration, he simply nodded and waved his hand out to the door to allow Turbo permission to leave. The racer ducked his chin down and did a mock salute before he headed towards the door, silently congratulating himself for pulling off what he felt would be an impossible task.

**If I sense any funny business, I will order you killed immediately. If you are simply buying time for yourself, it will be in vain.**

_Whatever you say__, mon capitane._

* * *

The walk to the Brig was unpleasant to say the least. Not because of the surroundings, which were naturally bleak, but because of all the noise in Rosie's head as she walked, being closely followed by the soldier Gamgee. She was trying very hard to not let her teenage programming take over her senses and do something embarrassing like burst into tears in front of a stranger, but her mood was most definitely despondent. All she could think about was how her champ was putting himself into danger (again) and praying to whatever superior beings were out there that he'd be okay this time.

She remembered the first time he had done something like this, walk into a danger zone on purpose. It was some jungle game...what was it?...oh yeah, _Jungle Hunt_ [by Taito]. Rosie had been freaked out about getting killed by wild animals and cannibals, but Turbo set off to prove that it was _turbo-tastically_ safe by marching his brave stupid self into the jungle alone. What followed afterwards may have been funny now but at the time it certainly pissed her off, and it just happened to be enough of a push for her to blurt that she lov-

"So, I was thinking," Gamgee started as he ogled her backside, her skirt swaying along with her hips in a gentle flowing motion. "I'm new around here and don't exactly know anyone, much less ladies. In fact, you're really the first one I've talked to."

_I am so not in the mood for this shit,_ the cheerleader wanted to groan, peeved off at having her memory trip cut short.

"Yeah, and?" she asked, not really caring to carry on any conversation with him.

Gamgee removed his helmet and ran a hand through his spiked blonde hair. His lips were curled into a lecherous sneer as he undressed her with his bright blue eyes. She was but the size of a child compared to him but she was most definitely of age, if her womanly figure was anything to go by_._

"And was wondering if you were up for a bit of fun," he completed her inquiry, having enough balls to bend down and pop her on the ass.

_Oh, GAG!_ Rosie wanted to retch, a tremor of disgust surging through her entire code. She had stiffened up at the unexpected pat, not sure exactly what to make of it. Only _one_ person was allowed to do that and he wasn't here right now. In all those years she thought Turbo was dead, she had never even kissed anyone else so...this was rather new and strange territory for her and it was one that she had absolutely no desire to explore.

However...

"Um, fun?" she questioned innocently, turning slightly to peer at him and bashfully twirling a lock of hair with one finger. "Whatever do you mean?"

Gamgee released a deep chuckle. "I think you know what _exactly_ what I mean."

Continuing to play dumb, she acted as if she had no clue what he was talking about, and then faked a giggle and shyed her eyes to the floor. "Oh, you mean _that_. I've...uh...I've never done _that_ before."

Gamgee licked his lips in anticipation. "Well, lucky for you, I was designed by the horniest young men this side of the galaxy, so I have some extensive knowledge on the subject."

Rosie giggled some more, this time a real one because...come on, this situation _was_ rather ridiculous. Amazing, the things that strangers will say to you!

He moved forward to grab her but she stepped back a good ways, holding her hands out in front of her in a blocking gesture. "Whoa, time out, big boy," she told him, hoping she hadn't bitten off more than she could chew here. "I'm...uh...I mean, should we really be doing this in the hallway? Someone might...see us."

Gamgee couldn't help but laugh. "So what? They can always leave if they don't like what they see."

Rosie ducked her head down and went back to twirling her hair, feeling like a complete idiot doing this in front of some other guy. "Yeah, but...well...I'm kinda...shy."

"Oh, I'll cure you of that _real_ quick." He took a step closer to her, the lust apparent in his eyes. "Once we get started, you won't even know _who_ you are, much less _where_."

_O-KAY, this is getting waaaay out of hand,_ Rosie thought anxiously as she backed up slowly from the obviously turned on soldier, who had gotten down on his knees to be more at her level._  
_

"Okay, but...could we start...slow?"_  
_

He laughed at the suggestion but he shrugged his shoulders. "You're killin' me, doll, but if that's what it takes."

_Geez, you're gonna make someone REAL happy someday_, Rosie thought dryly and mentally rolled her eyes.

She began to play with her fingers. "Thanks...and...do you think...that you could...close your eyes?" She made sure to widen her eyes up to make herself appear even more innocent than she was already playing at. "It's just that I'm _sooo_ nervous."

Gamgee rolled his eyes, thinking this was sure a lot of work, but he thankfully did as he was told. Rosie allowed herself to let out a silent breath of relief and shook the nerves out of her. The soldier smiled crookedly and said,

"Hope ya like big guns."

_Oh PLEASE, it's probably not even THAT big. _She got her legs into a good balanced position and-

_THONK!  
_

_-_gifted him with a quick front kick right to his face. Gamgee hadn't expected that kind of "kiss" so he grabbed his face and started cursing about it. Rosie took advantage of this and hopped around to get behind him and delivered a well-aimed chop to the back of his neck. The soldier fell forward and landed face-first on the floor, but for how long, who knew?

"Wow, I can't believe that actually worked," Rosie mumbled to herself in amazement. "Good thing I chose to live with ninjas all these years."

She allowed herself to breathe normally for the first time in several minutes and wiped her brow. Carefully, she stretched a leg out and lightly pushed on the soldier's side to see if he would get up but he didn't.

"Sorry," she apologized to unconscious man. "I'm more of a 'fast car' kinda gal."

"Wow, that was awesome!"

Rosie jumped at the unexpected voice and twisted around to see none other than Vanellope with a rather impressed look on her face.

The teenager held a hand to her heart out of relief. "Golly _geez_, you like to sneak up on people, don't you?"

"Can you teach me to do that?" she was asking, bouncing around the soldier's collapsed form. "Was that a ninja trick you did? I wanna learn ninja stuff too! Then I kick Stinkbrain when he's being difficult."

"What are you doing here?" Rosie asked, looking around to see if anyone else had popped up. "I thought Ralph sent you home?"

"He did. I left." Vanellope started inspecting the soldier's face as he laid there on the floor, lifting one of his eyelids to see if they were rolled up into his head or not. "Hey, now that you're here, maybe you can help me!"

She hopped over to Rosie and planted herself in front of her, rocking back and forth on her heels. "I'm glitching the prisoners out and taking them to _Sugar Rush_, but I'm getting worn out with all the back-and-forth trips."

"_You,_ worn out?" Rosie smiled at her, poking her in the nose to make her laugh. "Here I was thinking that the president of a candy-themed racing kingdom would have boundless hyper energy."

"Weeeellll, I haven't exactly had my daily dose of sugar today," Vanellope replied, swinging her upper torso left to right as she talked. "Hey, I wonder if that guy carries keys with him!"

She skipped back to the soldier while Rosie laughed to herself. If this is how hyper Vanellope was when she _didn't_ have fresh sugar in her system, she wondered what she was like when she _did_. Sure enough, the soldier had a keyring with him, similar to the ones all of them had. It was interesting that the Brig was designed to look like a mideval dungeon, which was a stark contrast to the rest of the game. Supposedly, it was just to make it that much more bleak of a place to stay.

"Ready to hear my idea?"

"Are you this bossy at home?"

"I _have_ to be, you should see the people that I have to live with!" Vanellope said in an exasperated way as if being the president was the world's biggest chore. "I can kinda see why your boyfriend had so many rules now!"

Rosie had to chuckle at that. The image of Turbo being driven crazy by a group of hyperactive children in go-karts was delightfully amusing. She knew he wasn't too nuts about kids these days, though she didn't remember him ever having a problem with them _before_.

"Aaaannnyway," the young president continued, getting back to business. "I was thinkin' you could break everyone out of their cell, meet me here and then that would be a little less way I have to travel. Whadda ya say?"

* * *

Thanks again for all the reviews so far, they are the light of my piddly author life :) Turbo, Ralph, Vanellope, Felix and the rest of the gang need lots of love to get through the rest of this, so feel free to give them a boost of encouragement! ;)


	20. I am Real

**That Little Game Called Life**

**Chapter Twenty**

Ralph had never seen the inside of a Code Room up until this moment. His jaw literally dropped when his eyes took in the vast seemingly infinite darkness filled with millions of delicate interlaced blue boxes that glowed as brightly as stars in the night sky. Never before had he seen anything so eerily beautiful. It was like coming face to face with the soul of the game, the souls of the people in it. How simple it was to go in and fool around with any of the aspects of a game's world, how vulnerable they all really were. He wondered if the codes of _Fix-It Felix, Jr._ was anything like this or if it was a much more simple formation since it was an older game.

_This is how he did it, _Ralph thought to himself as he stood there framing the doorway. _This is how he took over _Sugar Rush_. To think, the only thing that separates a game's world and a potential threat is a stupid door that I'm pretty sure I could wreck._

He thought about what would happen if _he_ were to float out there amongst the tiny floating boxes and then shuddered when he imagined himself ransacking the whole thing unintentionally. He would probably ignite a destruction sequence with a single touch. Gazing out into the black empty space that filled up the room, he thought about how far back it went. Surely it didn't go on forever, as the game's cabinet would have to block it at some point, but it was an terrifying feeling that with one wrong move someone could go tumbling off into the nothingness and be lost forever.

It didn't take much for Ralph to decide that he didn't care to ever go inside one of these rooms. _Ever._

The wrecker had no clue what Turbo was doing out there; he could barely make him out hidden amongst the code mass's nucleus. A tremor of fear and doubt trickled down his spine, hoping that Turbo wasn't playing everyone for a fool and was back to his villainous ways, either doing something to help General Hologram succeed in his dire plot or if he was making it to where he could take over the game for himself.

Which would both be very risky things to do seeing as how a nine foot six-hundred-plus pound wrecker was the guy guarding the exit.

Unlike Ralph, it was pleasantly soothing for Turbo to be back amongst the codes again, as these rooms had becomesomewhat of a comfort zone of his. He was as familiar with them as he was a race track; it was mind-blowing how much power could be felt by just being around either of them. Being in control made him feel more at ease in any given situation and this was no exception.

He had full intention of having nothing to do with General Hologram except to orchestrate his demise. The idea to simply turn the crazed army official into a glitch had crossed the racer's mind, but that wouldn't solve anything. He would still be a power-hungry crazed lunatic hell-bent on taking control of his own game, possibly going so far as to use explosives to break into the Code Room. If he were thrown in the Brig, it would be no trouble for him to escape.

No, the best thing was to kill him. Turbo could easily replace him with one of the other random holographic soldiers that stood by while the player got their medal. The regular players might be confused initially at where the handsome and imposing general had disappeared to, but as long as they got their medal they wouldn't care long.

_Yeah, kids and their prizes. That's why they ditched my game for that damn _RoadBlasters_. Curse that Teddy and his stupid tinkering! If he hadn't caused me to slow down and lose all the time, they would have still played my game and none of this would be happening right now. I KNOW _TurboTime_ was the better game. It WAS! Dumb kids and their precious "better graphics". _

Turbo physically slapped himself to snap out of his mental rant and focus on the task at hand. This wasn't any time to reflect on his hatred of children, the Real ones most of all.

He carefully grabbed another box of code, ripping it away from its designated position, and jammed in between another cluster. It spat at him at first as if it knew that it wasn't supposed to go there (they always did that) but it gradually calmed down and accepted its new home.

_Just a few more and..._he inserted one final piece of code, fully locking the puzzle that he had set out to complete..._DONE!_

* * *

General Hologram had not expected the sudden heaviness that overtook his senses and the result was him falling rather disgracefully onto his hands and knees. He had also not expected the pain that followed when he hit the floor. _Pain_...he had never felt it before yet he knew what it was. It was something that should be dealt to others, not himself. The palms of his hands and his knees screamed at him at the foreign sensation. The floor was cold that he had caught himself on, something that he did not really comprehend at first but it began to make some sense after a few seconds.

His virgin lungs burned as he gasped for air..._air_! He actually needed _air_! He panicked initially, not sure how to do this breathing activity he now needed to know in order to survive, but the tampered code quickly kicked in and took over for him. The burning decreased and at last he did not have to resort to violent gulping in order to intake oxygen.

After a few minutes to get over the shock of being in an actual body, he rose from the floor, stumbling a little bit to test his weight out. He felt strong and powerful, the way he had always viewed himself. He felt his eyes burn for some reason and he blinked to ease them. _Blinking_...he had never had to that before either. His new body began to get used to itself and the breathing and blinking became an involuntary activity just like it was for everyone else.

Hologram raised his hands slowly and looked at them with childish amazement and turned them over and around to view them fully. He flexed his fingers and reached up to feel his face. His face, he could feel it! It was warm, which shocked him seeing as how the only other thing he had touched thus far was the cold floor. The contrast was quite intriguing.

"I-"

He was startled as he tried to speak and held a hand up to his throat. It gave him an odd tingling feeling when he uttered the small sound. He tested a few hums until the vibrations started to feel natural, his voice sounding just as deep and resonant as it had before.

"I...I am..._real_."

* * *

"It's safe to talk now!"

Ralph held his position in the doorway, confusion evident on his face. He looked nervous and glanced behind him before turning back towards where the racer was calling out to him from the swarm of codes.

"How do you know?"

Turbo rolled his eyes and cupped his hands around his mouth so he could yell. "Don't believe me? Say something out there to the General to see if he responds!"

The wrecker backed up a couple steps and, swallowing hard, he said very softly, "Hello?"

Nothing.

"Hello?" Ralph said again in his normal pitch. "Anyone there? Hellloooo?"

Still nothing.

Ralph turned back to the Code Room, gripping the sides of the door and yelled out, "What did you _do_?"

"I gave him what he wanted!" Turbo answered him, swiping away some more code boxes so he could get to his next destination: The Lock Combination. General Hologram had always changed it everytime Turbo had been inside during his four-month stint here. Now that he was unable to do this with his _physical_ mind, Turbo could change it to anything he wanted for future use.

"What did he want?" Ralph asked, still confused.

"He wanted to be like me and you!"

Turbo found what he was looking for and smiled gleefully. He tapped around a little bit to access the box's cargo.

_Bingo_.

"Okay, make it something easy for you to remember."

Turbo pondered a moment then snapped his fingers.

"Ha, can't get much easier than all B's. Eight little bees buzzing in a hive," he softly sang to himself as he changed the code manually and then closed up the little box once the change was accepted.

Ralph was sick of these cryptic answers the racer was handing him, his brow furrowed in annoyance.

"What does _that_ mean exactly?" He held out his arms in frustration, awaiting an answer.

Turbo swam freely through cyberspace to reach the final project on his immediate list of things-to-do.

"Have a functional body!" he replied loudly, his yellow eyes lighting up once he found what he wanted.

The Locked Box of Memories. Once he opened it, the soldiers would remember everything about their lives before General Hologram ever started this insane nightmare.

Ralph's eyes widened when he heard the answer. "You mean, he can run around like us and do actual damage? Are you _crazy_?" He flailed his arms up in his excitement. "That makes it _worse_!"

"No, it was the only way to keep his nose out of our business," Turbo explained as he paddled himself closer to the golden box. "He can only be one place at a time now, unlike before where he could see everything in the tower. Not to mention, we can kill him now."

He said the last part so nonchalantly that it was chilling for Ralph to hear.

"Wait, _kill_ _him_?" His voice got shrill due to the shock. "_Why_ do we need to do_ that_?"

Turbo gently grabbed a hold of the chest's side and clutched the handle to lift the top up.

"Look, this guy is never going to stop until he gets what _really _wants: World Domination. Well, Arcade Domination anyway." _Why won't this stupid box open?_ "I may have given him a physical body, but he's not _completely_ like us. He has no emotions, dreams, fears, _any_ of the stuff that makes us who we are. He's nothing but an A.I. with a god complex."

Ralph pondered on that while Turbo tried effortlessly to open the chest. Was it wrong to kill someone if they weren't really a person? Could it even be considered murder to do away with a being who was technically not even humanoid? Would it be any different than killing off one of the first-person shooter wheeled computers?

"What the hell is with this freakin' box?" Turbo muttered angrily as he failed to pry the lid off. "Damn it, we don't have time for this!"

He peered his eyes at Ralph, wondering if he would be able to smash it open, but he shook his head at the idea. Ralph was too large to make it over there without destroying the rest of the Code Room, scattering all the small blue boxes to oblivion, something that even Turbo doubted he could fix. The chest was unable to be moved due to its nature.

_Turbo-freakin-tastic._

Cursing to himself, Turbo gave up the lost cause and whistled for Ralph to pull the rope he was attached to in order to get him back to the doorway faster, same as Sour Bill had done. Upon his feet hitting the ground and letting the door shut behind him, he untied himself and tilted his head at a sharp angle in order to see Ralph's face.

"Okay, so I was able to give Hologram a body and change the code so that he can't go back in and try anything. Unfortunately," he held his hands up in defeat, "I can't get the soldiers' memories back just yet."

Ralph glared at him and reached down to gently grab him by the scruff of his suit with his thumb and pointer finger and lifted him up so he could see him better, much to Turbo's dismay.

"And just _why_ is that?" the wrecker wished to know, the anger clear in his eyes. "That was part of the deal, you know, and I believe you _promised_ Felix that you'd get Calhoun back for him."

"I have a feeling that you picking me up is going to become a common activity," Turbo mused bitterly, crossing his arms in front of him and turning his head to the side haughtily. "And you really need to invest in some peppermints. There's no excuse for halitosis from a guy who spends his free time frolicking amongst a world made of candy."

Ralph's glare only deepened in response. Turbo sighed and rolled his eyes around as if bored.

"Felix is _definitely_ more fun than _you_ are," he said matter-of-factly, jamming a finger against Ralph's nose briefly for emphasis. "To answer your question, apparently I'm so turbo-tastic at coding that I made the locked memory box foolproof to be opened up unless..."

He held up one finger. "_One_, we try to shoot it open or blow it up...which I don't recommend due to the area in which it is confined in and we might blow up the entire game."

He held up another finger. "_Two,_ we glitch the memories out somehow and thus allow them to freely return to their rightful homes."

Ralph's brow raised in surprise and he accidentally let the racer slip out from between his fingers and let him fall hard on the floor. Turbo muttered a curse and rubbed his backside as he scowled at the wrecker.

"What the _hell_, butterfingers!" he growled as he stood up, trying to give himself a back massage. "Be gentle, I'm fragile!"

"You are _not_ dragging Vanellope here to help you do _anything_!" Ralph told him forcefully.

Turbo blinked in confusion. "Vanellope? What does she-" His eyes brightened as he got an idea. "Hey, that's it! _Vanellope_, she can do it!"

Ralph was shaking his head vehemently in protest. "Absolutely not, whatever it is, she's _not_ doing it!"

"Even if I promise she'll be perfectly safe?" He was practically begging at this point. "All she has to do is go out there and glitch her hands on the chest and all the memories will teleport out of it and all the soldiers will be back to normal!"

Ralph's eyes were darting back and forth watching Turbo's animated hand gestures that he normally used when he talked. Just _watching_ him talk was exhausting sometimes.

"Okay okay, you have a point, just shut up and let me think," Ralph told him in a gruff voice, rubbing his eyes as he did so.

He patted Ralph on the hand as if he were an old friend asking for a favor. "Come on, big guy, I know you don't care much for me, but this is really the only idea I've got right now. If you won't do this for me, do it for Felix."

Ralph sighed as he thought about sweet little Felix missing his Tammy. It was a tough decision, but at last he looked at the racer with a solemn expression.

"Fine," he said through clenched teeth. "But if anything, I mean _anything_ happens to her, I'm blaming _you_."

"Fair enough."

"Hold it right there!"

The unexpected female voice coming from behind Ralph scared the two men half to death, the wrecker swinging around wildly and Turbo peeking out from around him to see who was there. Calhoun, looking more than peeved, had her gun out and she looked ready for business. Her eyes focused on Ralph first then she noticed Turbo behind him and she cocked her gun.

"They always return to the scene of the crime," she stated aloud as she aimed right at the racer. "Looks like I made a wise choice coming to visit Dr. Scott's area. Good job apprehending the suspect, er," She leaned in towards Ralph to take a better look at his face. "Hey, I don't know you."

_Not THIS again_, Turbo thought wistfully as he remembered the last time he had encountered the female sergeant.

Ralph thought fast. Before Calhoun had to time to react, he knocked her gun out of her hands and grabbed her so she couldn't do anything to them. She reacted by kicking him right in the groin, which thankfully did no good due to the armor he was wearing. Turbo took advantage of this and hurried past the two larger characters to head for the hall door.

"New plan!" he called back to Ralph. "You take care of crazy lady and I'll go appease the General so he won't get suspicious! Then you grab Vanellope and take care of this problem, the combo's all B's then start so it's easy to remember!"

He ran out the door before Ralph could give him an answer, which was hard to do when he was holding down a full grown woman trained for battle. It was true that he was _much_ bigger and stronger than her, but at the same time he couldn't use _all_ his strength on her because that would have surely killed her. Not to mention, she was acting out of sorts and he felt like he was punishing her by hurting her so much.

"Stand down, soldier, that's a direct order!" Calhoun was raging as she tried to fight the much bigger man and release herself from his grip.

"I'm really sorry about this," Ralph told her as he half-dragged her down the hall, not really sure what he was supposed to do with her. She kicked him hard in the leg and he had to bite down to not scream like a sissy about it. Dang, that woman was tough!

Ralph remembered her saying something about this being Dr. Scott's domain so he heaved the woman into his arms, holding _her_ arms down and wincing through her kicks, and ran down the corridor until at last he reached another room with a small plaque on it bearing Brad Scott's name. Now Ralph was of course unaware that this was the very room that Turbo had been holed up in while he reprogrammed _Hero's Duty_, but that didn't matter anyway because Ralph was going to use it regardless.

He burst into the room despite Calhoun's protests and, thinking fast, switched her fully to one arm so he could hold her against his side and used his other arm to grab the bed that was present. He practically threw Calhoun forward, blocking her advances with the bed and then, once out the door, he threw her back hard. Once the door closed up, he jammed the sensors that allowed it to open automatically when someone got close. Calhoun could be heard on the other side beating and kicking at the door, screaming various colorful phrases.

"I'm sorry, but it's for your own good!" he explained to her through the door, knowing she didn't understand what he was talking about. "You'll hopefully see your husband very soon!"

Of course he was talking about Felix, but she didn't know that. Ralph turned and left her there, exiting the corridor completely as she continued to try and break down the door.

* * *

Turbo finally made his way back to where he had spoken to General Hologram, initiating the door himself to open it. He had already known to expect the General to be real upon entering the room but still he was a little surprised at what he saw, still in shock that he was able to pull this off. Hologram was inspecting the fabric of his suit for the tenth time, being fascinated with the feel of it. Turbo grinned cockily and strolled up to him.

"You like?" he asked him as he stopped about a foot away from the General.

Hologram opened his mouth to speak and it took a few seconds for the words to come. "Yes. I approve greatly. Thank you, I...I still cannot quite believe it."

"Believe it," Turbo told him, reaching inside his suit to retrieve his false code. "I believe we had a deal. Here's the Universal Code."

The General looked at the napkin as if he was scared to reach out and touch it, afraid what happened last time would occur again. He reached an arm out slowly, his fingers shaking slightly and finally he pinched the corner of it with his fingers. Turbo let it slide out from his own fingers and Hologram examined the article, feeling the slight delicate roughness of the napkin and trembling with the rush of power he felt just looking at that Code.

_Right. Left. Up. Down. Left. Up. Up. Right. B. A._

This was it. This was what was going to give him the access to all the games in the arcade, twisting around their codes anyway he wanted. They would all be under his thumb, not knowing any different because they would never remember a time before this. A glorious new world awaited him and his ticket there was right here in his the palms of his hands.

He tucked the napkin into his own pocket on his dress suit and folded his arms behind his back to stand at attention in front of the racer.

"Thank you. Your cooperation is most appreciated."

"No problem."

Hologram (he supposed he would need to change his name now that he was most definitely not a hologram anymore) pulled his arms out from behind his back and cracked his knuckles, sending a shockwave of both pain and pleasure through him. The racer backed up slowly, the grin he had been wearing falling now. General had a dark look in his eyes and he smiled crookedly.

"Now that I am real, I do not need my soldiers to perform all my biddings." The smile slowly turned into an ugly sneer. "I can kill you myself."

_Oh shit. _Turbo should have seen that one had been fully prepared to die once he even thought about setting foot back in this game, but now that it was suddenly imminent he realized that he really _wasn't_ all that prepared. The racer turned to run but Hologram grabbed him by the neck in a choking grip, effortlessly raising him up to see the pained expression he was wearing. This was going to be fun. He had waited a long time for this.

"Should I kill you slowly?" he asked rhetorically as Turbo tried effortlessly to push his hand from around his neck. "Watch the life drain from you second by second? Or should I just snap your neck and be done with it, crush you like the little bug that you are?"

_Shit! I don't want to die! _Turbo was gasping for air now, feeling his lungs burning deep inside his chest._ I CAN'T die!  
_

The cruel general let this continue for a few more seconds, savoring every instant of his victim's suffering, then simply dropped him to the floor with a _thud_. The racer tried to sit up, coughing as he tried to breathe normally again, his bones aching from his harsh landing. Hologram watched him with sadistic amusement, as if studying an insect in a jar with no airholes punched in the top. Turbo was just starting to breathe normally when he suddenly felt a giant boot kick him in the stomach from the side, groaning in agony as he flew a few feet away. He grabbed his abdomen, choking again for air and curling up in a feeble attempt to protect his vital organs from further attacks.

"I never imagined how much _fun_ being in a body could be," Hologram laughed with evil glee as he towered over the racer. "You were right. The only way things get done right is if you do them yourself."

Turbo's eyes flared with rage as he peered up painfully at the madman. "I...will...kill...you," he told him raspily, his throat still on fire from being grabbed earlier.

The General laughed louder this time, a sound that sent a chill down Turbo's spine. "How amusing! There you are lying on the floor with your injuries and you still dare to threaten me!"

The racer coughed a few times before speaking, each one hurting his abdomen even more. "That wasn't...a threat." The fire in his eyes grew brighter as the hatred flowed through his veins. "It was a _promise_."

This only made Hologram laugh even more. It was hilarious, this insignificant little worm still had enough fight left in him to try and scare _him. _Maybe he shouldn't kill him just yet, this was rather fun having a punching bag for a pet. He reached down and easily grabbed Turbo with both hands and threw him hard against the wall, the racer issuing a sharp cry of pain as his back made contact. He didn't get a chance to rest on the floor this time for he was picked up and slapped hard across the face and coming from a guy like the General that was no small thing. The result was him flying through the air and smacking into a different wall, clenching his teeth upon impact as he tried to keep from screaming.

_He's really going to kill me_, the racer panicked, his mind racing for a way to get out of this but he could not find one. He could barely move what with his back and stomach sending jolting waves of pain all through him. He commanded himself not to cry and he swallowed hard as a few tears came anyway. His mind immediately went to Rosie and what she was going to do to herself if he were to get killed here and he couldn't help but choke a whimpering sob out.

Hologram misunderstood and thought that he had cried because he was in that much physical pain. He stomped over to where Turbo had landed and the racer shrinked back violently, not wanting to get thrown or kicked by the giant man again. Instead, the General knelt down and grabbed him by the sides of his face, forcing him to look at him. He could see the hate and pain reflecting in his eyes and the army official smiled as though he approved of this.

"I could crush your head so easily," Hologram mused as he applied pressure to Turbo's face, his little gray hands weakly trying to push his bigger one away.

"Please...stop," he begged quietly, the words killing him to say. He cursed himself when another tear ran down his face.

Hologram chuckled as he witnessed the fight start to go out of him, fascinated that he had broken his spirit so quickly. He threw the racer's head back down towards the floor and watched as he began to dry heave on the floor, the convulsions only making the pain worse. Turbo hadn't eaten in...he couldn't even remember. He didn't even care, he just wanted to go home. Wherever the hell it was, he wanted to go there.

"I have decided not to kill you just yet," the General told him in a way that made it sound like he was doing him some great favor. "Look at me when I am talking to you. It is disrespectful."

Turbo sneered up at him, the anger returning to him and he spat dryly in his direction. This prompted a laugh in response.

"You intrigue me," Hologram informed him, grabbing his face again but not squeezing it this time. "Just when I think I have you broken down, you get right back up. It makes you almost worthy of living."

_I. Am. Going. To. KILL. You. _Turbo swore it on his heart, the darkness in his soul aimed directly at the monster before him.

"I feel as though I should reward you for providing me with the means necessary to take over the arcade," Hologram continued as he kept a tight grip on Turbo's face. "I'm going to allow you to watch me further expand my control in _Hero's Duty_. Afterwards, I will decide what to do with you until I am ready to kill you."

He released Turbo's face and grabbed him by the back collar of his jumpsuit. He stood up to his full height which meant the racer had to come to his feet as well, an agonizing wave of pain overtaking him as he did so and his breathing becoming more like audible wheezing. The General smirked and began to walk towards the exit, dragging his new reluctant pet with him.

* * *

_How ever will Turbo get out of THIS one? Has General Hologram truly succeeded? Will the prisoners escape unharmed? Will Calhoun ever get out of her temporary holding cell? Will the Memory Chest ever be unlocked? All these questions answered and more coming soon! Thank you, thank you, to everyone that reviewed the last chapter, don't be shy to keep them coming :) almost at 100 :D_


	21. The Calvary's Here!

**That Little Game Called Life**

**Chapter Twenty One**

Now in the meantime, while Turbo had still been trying to recode General Hologram into a body, Rosie had found the Brig after a few minutes of searching the hallways and was rather overwhelmed at the receiving she got. Her co-cheerleaders, Summer and Raven, nearly passed out upon seeing her and they stuck their arms through the bars of their cell in attempts to hug her. Felix was the only one that seemed a little less than thrilled to see her, though he was glad she was okay of course. He had been worried about the General finding out about her existence and using her life as blackmail to threaten Turbo with. The handyman shook it off, not wanting to make anyone catch wind that he was bothered by something.

"So does this mean Speedy's here?" asked Raven after she and Summer were released from their cell.

"Yeah, he and Ralph went somewhere in the tower," Rosie answered, unlocking Felix's cell. "Hi there, Felix! Long time, no see!"

He raised his hat briefly at her. "It certainly has. I must say you look much better than the last time I saw you."

She winced as she recalled their last encounter, back in 1997 right before she disappeared off the grid. "Yeah, sorry about that," she apologized, tensing up her shoulders above her neck line. "Wasn't very lady-like of me to throw a beer bottle at you."

"It's not lady-like to throw a guy out of a public establishment either," drawled Officer Bob from a few cells down, a few of his fugitive pals snickering behind. "Shut up, idiots!"

Bob's superior, a large man with a double-chin and black mustache simply known as Chief, shook his head wearily at his officer and continued to relax casually in his purple housecoat in his own private cell, reading one of Paperboy's newspapers as if he were at home lounging in his recliner. He looked so at home there that it was almost like he didn't realize he was anywhere different.

(Speaking of Paperboy, he had somehow managed to avoid being found so far. Then again, he was always a pretty street-smart kid.)

Rosie shot a piercing glare as she looked at Bob, a small ginger-haired man with a similar colored 'stache, smirking at her with what she called the "stalker smile". Being a police officer, he'd been one of the most aggressive advocates about preventing people from "going Turbo" in the beginning and he never failed to make Rosie feel like a criminal herself just because she'd been "associated with the enemy". Finally, he'd pushed enough buttons to make even Tapper lose his temper with him and promptly evicted him from his bar.

Felix knew how she felt about Bob and even though he was personally on good terms with the guy, he didn't want any trouble started so he took the jail keys himself and went to go let the _A.P.B._ men free. The only people left were those guys and the two cheerleaders. Vanellope had done okay with the Angel Kids, Q*bert's group, and the _Pong_ characters (she'd been able to carry all of those in one trip).

"So, like, what exactly is the plan?" Summer wanted to know, getting back to the current situation. "Did he tell you anything?"

Rosie wasn't sure how to respond. "He didn't exactly tell me anything. He got all excited about some Tapper's napkin Ralph had with him and he scribbled something on it, so I guess that General What's-His-Face wants it."

Felix's ears perked up as he headed back towards the girls. He didn't say anything out loud but he knew what she was talking. _Jimminy Jamminy, he made up a fake code. That's...mighty brilliant actually. Not that I know what else he had in mind. Hopefully it works, whatever it is.  
_

"Where's Vanellope?" he asked instead. "She hasn't come back from her last trip yet."

"Oh, she said for me to break you guys out and meet her together near the outside door," Rosie explained, having forgotten why she came down there. "She said it would help cut her trip shorter so she won't be so exhausted."

"Then what are we waiting for, dudes!" one of the convicts that was with Officer Bob exclaimed, and he and the others shoved past everyone. "Get us outta here!"

"I'm with the tattooed freaks," Summer agreed dryly. "This dungeon is no good for my natural curls."

Rosie allowed herself to roll her eyes but she smiled as she did so, having secretly missed the girls. The blonde was still obsessed with her looks, it seemed. She and Raven ran off to the join the men, leaving Rosie with Felix. Officer Bob sauntered along at his own pace, yielding momentarily to look the redhead up and down with a dirty look on his face, causing her to cross her arms self-consciously, and he proceeded to follow everyone else.

The Chief finally rose his bulky frame and tucked the newspaper he was reading under his arm, reaching into his robe's pocket for his pipe and lit up a smoke as if he were still at home. He exited his cell, closed the door behind him, walked forward, paused to nod at the two remaining persons in the Brig and slowly strolled along wordlessly to the exit.

"So," Felix began, clearing his throat. "I take it you and Turbo worked everything out?"

Rosie smiled brightly. "Oh yeah, we're going to fine, I think. I know we've both been through a lot since we last saw each other, but he's still my charming champ."

He smiled in response, genuinely glad to hear that.

"Well hopefully he's working on getting my wife back for me," Felix said to her, changing the subject as they directed themselves out of the Brig. "I really miss her."

Rosie knew how that felt. "Don't worry, I'm sure he's got something up his sleeve."

Felix stopped when he saw the still unconscious body of Gamgee laying on the floor and taking up the hallway. A hand went to his heart.

"Oh my lands, is he…is he?" _Dead_ was the word he couldn't make himself say.

"Heavens no, I just knocked him out," Rosie told him matter-of-factly as she skipped around him. "He was being a total perv anyway."

"_You_ did? And he _was_?" He looked a bit squeamish as he walked around the body, pausing a second to feel for a pulse anyway then sighed in relief when he felt one. "I bet he apologizes when he remembers himself. He's usually quite the gentleman."

* * *

Ralph had made it out of the tower remarkably easier than he thought he would. Elevators made life so much easier! Imagine how boring Felix's game would be if they utilized wrecker wasn't a hundred percent sure what he was supposed to be doing exactly, but he guessed he might need to get Vanellope so she could do what Turbo needed her to do.

Not that he thought that was the best idea in the world.

Ralph started out into the dreary landscape, keeping his eyes peeled for any signs of danger. He wondered where all the other soldiers were. He heard something behind him and he turned with a start, barely missing the blinking blue light that passed him by.

"HiStinkbrain!" he heard the unmistakable rushed sound of a certain president as she glitched hurriedly by him.

"What the? Hey, what are you doing here?" he called out but she couldn't hear him to respond because she had already vanished out through the portal. It was about twenty seconds later that she came back, coming to a dead halt in front of him.

"I can't believe you deliberately disobeyed me!" Ralph scolded her, shaking a disapproving finger at her. "What do you think you're doing?"

She shrugged her shoulders and rocked on her heels. "I'm busting out the prisoners. You know, being _useful_. What are_ you_ doing? Taking a leisurely stroll?"

He crossed his arms. "I was going to go get _you_, but guess I don't have to do that anymore."

Vanellope jumped onto his shoulders and pinched his cheeks. "Aww, is the diaper baby mad? Did you miss your nap today?"

"Shut up."

"Aw, come on," she grinned, sweetness dripping in her voice. "I'll take ya to see your buddy Felix, would that make you happy?"

He sighed in annoyance. "Fine. Where is he?"

She stood up and leaned on his head for support with one arm. "Thatta way," she pointed back in the direction of the Brig.

* * *

"He did _what_?" Rosie nearly shrieked, the fear evident in her eyes.

"I know, but damage was done before I could do anything." Ralph had told her about Turbo going back to the General.

The only people besides them that were there was Vanellope, Felix , and the _A.P.B. _Chief. Vanellope had already stated that she was _not_ going to be able to glitch him out due to his size. It had been hard enough getting the normal sized guys out. He was just going to have to walk out once this predicament was over with or at least catch a ride from someone. His feelings hadn't been hurt, he just silently shrugged, took his paper and headed back to the Brig to chill out.

"And you locked my Tammy up in some room?" Felix asked, a little peeved that his wife got man-handled.

Ralph looked affronted. "Hey, she was going to start trouble. I was doing my best not to hurt her. Gimme a break, this was happening all at once."

"And he really said he needed my help?" Vanellope was wearing a smug expression of her own. "That means a lot coming from _him_."

Rosie was in a panic. "What are we standing around here for, come _on_!"

She would've rushed off except Ralph blocked her with a hand. "Whoa, hold on, sister. Where you think you're going?"

She glared up at him as if he just asked the dumbest question on earth. "Where do you _think_ I'm going?" she bit. "I'm going to go get him before he gets himself killed."

Felix stepped up, clearing his throat. "I don't think that's a good idea; if the General finds out you're alive, he could use you for blackmail against Turbo to make him do whatever he wants. Then we really _will_ be in a pickle."

"What does that matter if he's _dead_?" She tried to punch Ralph's palm but it didn't even hurt him. "If you think you can stop me from going, you are _badly_ mistaken."

* * *

Felix threw the jail keys over to the Chief, who just simply nodded and hung them on a nail in the wall above his head, then went back to reading his paper.

"Sorry, miss, but we can't risk you going out there," he told Rosie, who Ralph just dragged into a cell.

"Fix-It Felix, Jr., you let me out of here this _instant_!" she yelled angrily, kicking the door hard enough to rattle the whole cage. "I am not some damn damsel needing looked after!"

"Look, Turbo would kill us if we let you in the middle of danger," Ralph tried to explain to her. He coughed when realized what he said. "Not that I think he'd do it literally..."

"Don't worry, we'll make sure he's safe," Felix added, patting his hammer for good measure.

"He _better_ be!" She grabbed the bars to shake them. "He better not have a scratch on him, you hear me? Not a _scratch_."

Ralph tried to hide a grin, shaking his head at how violently protective women could get sometimes, and walked out. Felix raised his hat at Rosie briefly.

"I'll do my best, ma'am," he told her, hopping out after Ralph.

She kicked the bars again then plopped down with her legs and arms crossed, taking a second to glance over at where Chief was sitting. "What are _you_ looking at?"

* * *

_This wasn't supposed to happen._

Turbo was still being dragged like a ragdoll by the General, his strength failing every minute. His breathing was getting coarser as they went on, his feet scraping the floor beneath him as he tried to keep up with the much taller man's long strides and his hands grabbing at his collar in order to keep from choking against it.

_It was so simple_, he thought. _It was such a simple plan. Go in, give him the fake code, lead him on a merry chase out of the game where he'd be able to get killed. Why did I not think that he'd try to kill ME himself? Stupid, I'm so stupid! _

His ego got in the way is what happened. Things were going along so swimmingly that he thought nothing could have gone wrong this late in the game. He got too sure of himself. It wasn't a bad thing to be confident, but he tempted fate one too many times and it looked like it was about to catch up to him this round. He should never have gone back to that room.

_When he finds out that code I gave him doesn't do squat, I'm a dead man_.

He only hoped it would be quick, though he had a feeling it would not. Hologram was already delaying his death as it was, toying with him this way. Admitting failure was not something Turbo liked to do. He had failed to keep _TurboTime_ from getting unplugged, he had failed to keep his life at _Sugar Rush_ from going literally up in smoke, and now he had possibly failed in his mission to keep the arcade out of the clutches of another psychopath.

_I guess I can find some consolation in the fact that he can't take over all the games_, Turbo tried to think positively. _He still doesn't have what he wanted. I can only hope that someone else can stop him from finding a way to continue his plans. I might not be able to kill the bastard but maybe someone else will. Maybe after he kills me, everything will still turn out okay. Maybe the arcade will go back to normal. _

_Then again, I could have just been wasting my time and this whole place will go to rot anyway. Not to mention I'm most certainly going to die and my poor sweet darlin' is going to join me in Game Over. If I'd known ahead of time that I was going to be crossing life's finish line, I almost wish I hadn't found her again. At least she'd be wherever it is she calls home now with her (_he cracked a little smile at the thought)_ ninja family and be safe in her warm bed instead of being in this dump.  
_

Turbo was so lost in his delirious mental state, that he almost didn't notice when he stopped being dragged. He felt this strange sensation surround him (he'd describe it as a static charge later) and he felt himself being pulled off to the side somewhere. When the charge went away, he was a little disoriented to find himself no longer with the General but with-

* * *

General Hologram halted when he no longer felt the racer in his clutch. He swung around in a few wild circles, puzzled as to where he could have gone. One second he was there, the next he wasn't. It made no sense. And things that didn't make sense only served to piss him off.

"Another trick of yours?" he asked loudly, still looking about the area in vain. "You cannot hide from me forever, whatever black magic of this it is you are using!"

He decided not to waste any time trying to find him and instead began to run further down the hall. He was almost there, almost at the Code Room's area. He practically tore the door open to get into the hidden hallway and was so lost in his excitement that he didn't even hear Calhoun down on the other end beating on the door to try and get out of her temporary holding cell.

Hands shaking, Hologram reached into his pocket and pulled out the napkin with the code written on it. A terrifying grin spread across his face as he punched in the order of the arrows plus the two letters on the end and then START.

And nothing happened.

The smile began to slowly fall into a frown. Had he punched something wrong in his hurry? He tried it again. Nothing.

Again.

_Nothing._

Again.

_Nothing._

The frown became a snarl. Tricked. He had been tricked. It was the highest degree of insult imaginable.

"You just wait until I find you, you little bastard," Hologram growled as he ripped the worthless napkin into small pieces, letting them float down to the floor. "I will make you suffer greatly for making a fool out of me."

* * *

"Jimminy Jamminy, you're a mess!" Felix gaped as he gave Turbo a once-over.

The racer was understandably baffled at hearing his friend's voice and seeing the sudden change in location. Felix pulled his hammer out and tapped him with it, and immediately this warm fuzzy feeling came over him and all the pain vanished.

"Can I have one of those for my birthday?" Turbo asked right before Felix nearly jumped him to give him a squeezing hug. He shot the handyman a look that said he was more than uncomfortable at the sudden show of affection.

"Boy, am I glad to see you!" Felix said happily as he continued to hug him.

"Get _off_ me!" Turbo told him firmly while shoving him off, even if he had to admit that it was nice to see him again too. "And _never _do that again."

"Hi, Turd-o!" Vanellope greeted him chipperly from the other side of Felix.

He lowered his eyes at her and replied flatly, "Hello, Vanello-puke."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Is that anyway to thank the person that rescued you?"

He gritted his teeth at the idea of thanking the little munchkin...for the second time today. "Thanks."

"You're welcome!" she grinned triumphantly.

Turbo looked back and forth between the two. "What are you guys doing here anyway? And where are we?"

Felix spoke first. "Well, Ralph said you went back to see General Hologram after you made him real and—"

"We thought you'd need some help!" Vanellope finished for him. "And we're in this hallway that's on the other side of the one you were in. I glitched through the wall and pulled you over."

"So what's the plan now?" Felix wanted to know.

Vanellope started punching the air. "Are we gonna gang up and fight that big turkey?"

"Shut up, both of you!" Turbo hissed, getting tired of the noise already. He pointed at Vanellope. "_You_ need to go to the Code Room and glitch the memories out of that big golden box I made over on the far right. The combo's-"

"Eight B's plus start, I _know_!" she replied in exasperation, acting as if she had heard it a hundred times already.

"And you have to tie yourself to this rope thing just outside the door or else you'll float off into nothingness," Turbo added as he picked himself up off the floor. "Fix-It can keep an eye on you in case you need help."

Felix adjusted his hat. "What are _you_ going to do?"

At that moment they heard the sound of heavy footsteps on the other side of the hall followed by,

"TURBO! GET THE HELL BACK HERE IF YOU KNOW WHAT IS GOOD FOR YOU!"

The racer smirked at that. _I take it you figured out that code doesn't work. _

"I need a way to get the General physically out of the game," he answered Felix. "Preferably something fast."

Felix pondered a minute then punched his fist in an open palm in a "eureka" moment. "I've got it! The top floor has escape pods. Just lure him up there and use one of those to get to the Station." He pointed on down the hall. "Ralph's standing guard on the other side of that door, he might be able to help you out somehow if you want."

"Hey, not bad," Turbo told him, patting him on the back. "Let's just hope I can learn how to fly faster than I did learning how to ride a motorcycle."

Felix shrugged. "Well, Tammy makes it look easy."

Turbo turned towards Vanellope, a solemn expression suddenly present in his eyes. "And just in case something happens...for what it's worth...I'm sorry I took your game from you."

He didn't see the approving smile Felix was giving him from behind. Vanellope hadn't expected to ever hear those words so her jaw dropped slightly as she regarded him with a dumbfounded look.

"I know how that feels and I shouldn't have done it to someone else, especially when you didn't even have a week to enjoy it first," the racer continued, not really looking at her. It was embarrassing for an adult to apologize to a kid after all. "So, I apologize."

Vanellope smiled at him appreciatively and hugged him. Turbo was frankly surprised at this, expecting her to tell him to go fudge himself, looked back at Felix with some confusion and then patted her awkwardly on the back with one hand.

"Just don't do it again," she warned him as she pulled back.

"Trust me, I don't even want to _think_ about candy," he kidded lightly. "C_heeseburgers_ on the other hand..."

* * *

_Whoop whoop, thanks guys made it past the 100 review mark! :D I feel like I should reward you somehow. If anyone cares, I went back and wrote a *cough*maturecontent*cough* extension to the chapter 8 flashback. It's actually not THAT dirty, I get too embarrassed lol. So I'll post it if anyone wants to read it just let me know. I have a bigger surprise later but not gonna say it right now :P Thanks for sticking with me guys!  
_


	22. The Best Way to Go is Up

_Dang, I got energetic and just slammed this baby out! Hope you guys like!_

* * *

**That Little Game Called Life**

**Chapter Twenty Two**

"You okay back there?"

Turbo made the mistake of looking down at the _very_ long drop to the bottom of the tower as he hung onto the back of Ralph's overalls. It wasn't that he didn't like heights, he just preferred to have his feet firmly rooted on something solid. Ralph was presently climbing the side of the tower in the same manner that he had done months ago when he had game-jumped for the sake of getting a medal.

"Y-yeah, sure," the racer gulped, forcing his eyes back up to the sky. "I'm_ perfectly_ okay dangling at ninety stories up off the ground."

Ralph smirked in amusement at his passenger's uneasiness, since it was no big deal for the wrecker to be this high at all.

"That's pretty funny considering that when you part Cy-Bug, you flew even higher than _this_."

Turbo shot him a glare that Ralph couldn't see. "This may come as a shock to you, but I wasn't exactly myself then. The majority of what I was doing was controlled by that stupid insect."

"Oh yeah?" he asked, not really believing him. "So it wasn't _your_ idea to beat me up, let Vanellope get eaten alive, and then kill me too?"

He was quiet for a few seconds before he answered.

"Okay, you're right, that was _me_," he admitted, then was quick to add, "_But _I was severely pissed off at the time."

Ralph rolled his eyes, as if _that_ was supposed to be the best excuse ever. "What about that gist about taking over the arcade for yourself?"

"Now _that_ wasn't me, that was that bug thing talking. What purpose do I have in controlling worlds that are not even racing themed? _You_ said the same thing yourself hours ago when this whole day trip first started."

The wrecker let that sink in but didn't comment, knowing that was more than likely truthful. He finally reached the tower's final area and Turbo gladly hopped off, more than happy to have his feet planted. He had to turn his head when Ralph busted the wall, shattering glass, concrete and metal everywhere, and he did a little leap through the big gaping hole that was now present. Ralph had been in this room before, the floor covered with countless Cy-Bug eggs. There was a large platform in the middle of the room that had to reached via a short shallow stairway, which is where the player received their medal from General Hologram during the game.

"Don't step on the eggs," Ralph warned the racer as he continued forward on his own.

"I would kill for some fried eggs right about now," Turbo said out loud, turning slightly to Ralph after he said it. "Not really, so you know."

Ralph was going to comment that he didn't think he was being serious, but Turbo perked up when he saw something to the side of the big platform.

"Hey, what's that thing?"

He barreled right through the eggs, Ralph gasping and tensing up as he did so in fear that he would accidentally crack one but he zipped through them quite easily since he was a much smaller person. Ralph sighed in relief, wiping his brow when he made it over to the platform's side without a hitch. It amazed him how one second the racer would be all business and then the next be like a kid loose in a toy store. He wasn't sure which one he preferred.

"Wait a second, don't_ touch_ anything!" Ralph was telling him as he opted to go _around_ the eggs versus _through_ them.

"It's an intercom thingy!" Turbo said excitedly. "You push this button to make announcements. Let's see." He tapped his chin as though in deep thought then grinned mischievously.

"Don't you_ dare_!" Ralph warned him through clenched teeth as he made his way closer.

* * *

General Hologram was still roaming the hallways, his mind calculating various gruesome ways that he could kill that treacherous slug that gave him a false code. Oh he would pay, he would pay _dearly_.

_"Testing, 1-2-3 *ahem* do re mi fa so la...Hey Genny, you hear me out there?"  
__  
_Hologram stopped dead when he heard the loud voice of his prey from out of nowhere, glancing around in confusion.

_"GET OFF THAT MIC!" _shouted a different voice in the background._  
_

_"SHOVE OFF, DONKEY KONG! Hey Gen-Gen, nice little view you got up here from the top. Needs some curtains though. I recommend salmon."  
_

The General's brows knitted together as a snarl grew on his face. "He's fooling around at my Ceremonial Stage!"

He launched himself into a run, his long legs stretching to carry him farther and faster until he came to the elevator. Beating the button rapidly, he almost ripped the door open when it finally arrived to him and began to impatiently jam the inside button to take him to the top floor. The little speaker in the elevator would not let him escape the following babble.

_"I hope you enjoy your daily dose of TurboTime Comedy Hour. Be sure to call our toll-free number for a chance to win-"_

_"WILL YOU GET OFF THAT THING?"  
_

_"Hey, don't pick me uuuUUUUP!"_

* * *

Ralph grabbed Turbo by the suit with one hand and slammed his other fist down on top of the intercom system, shattering it completely and causing sparks to go flying everywhere. He gave him a look reminiscent to a mother wordlessly scolding a disobedient child.

"Geez, I just wanted to try my hand at show biz," Turbo whined in fake-disappointment as he kicked his legs mid-air. "Do you mind putting me down now? _Gently_ this time?"

The wrecker gave him one last warning look before placing him down on the floor. "Great job!" he shouted at him. "Now he's coming up here!"

"I certainly hope so," Turbo quipped back as something else caught his attention. "Hey, are those the spaceship things?"

Ralph groaned and wiped an exhausted hand across his face as he slowly followed the racer to where an escape pod was parked into a cubby space in the wall. He opened the door and jumped into the large driver's seat and started rummaging around in the little glove compartment.

"Ah-ha, a driver's manual!" he exclaimed, snuggling down in the seat and propping his legs up on the steering wheel as if he had all the time in the world.

"You don't have time to read that whole thing!" Ralph told him frantically, glancing back continuously towards the door that served as a true entrance to the level.

"You forget who you're with," Turbo replied, flipping the page casually. "I'm a _speed_ reader."

Ralph felt his temper rise again, not being a fan of puns whether they were candy-related, racing-related, or otherwise. He went over to the wall and beat his head against it a couple of times in annoyance to keep from yelling at the guy. He thought maybe he had banged his head too hard when he heard Turbo say,

"Okay, I'm done!" He threw the book behind the seat and started playing with some buttons to start the engine.

Ralph gaped at him and trotted back over, his eyes wide in disbelief. "You finished that _whole thing_?"

He received a wide grin in response. "My programmers were hooked on phonics, it would seem. Now before you tear the place apart, go hide over there," he directed, pointing to the platform, "and keep an eye on that door. When Holly comes in, flip me thumbs up."

* * *

"I guess Ralph figured Turbo should keep his day job," Felix mused after hearing the commotion on the intercom. He had just helped Vanellope tie herself down with the rope outside the Code Room.

"He doesn't_ have_ one," the child reminded him, punching in the series of B's on the door. "His day job got unplugged before I was even thought up."

Felix opened his mouth to say something but closed it, knowing she was right. Soon, the world of cyberspace became visible to them for the first time and they both stared in awe for a moment. Felix whistled shortly as he took in the lovely view.

"Jimminy jamminy, so that's what we're all made of."

Vanellope shook it off, swung her arms to give her a little boost power and leaped off into the inky blackness. A huge grin spread across her face as she floated freely and let out a few giggles.

"Woo-hoo! This is fun!" she shouted, kicking her legs to make her go forward and doing a little flips and turns as she went along. "Wheeeee!"

Felix chuckled a bit as he watched her trying to get a handle on air-swimming, though he became distracted by the very familiar sound of Calhoun yelling somewhere in the back, accompanied by loud banging. He remembered Ralph saying he had to lock her up in a room back here, so he dashed down the hall at his super-speed and halted in front of the door bearing Dr. Scott's name on it. That made him a wee bit jealous, but he shook it off knowing that it didn't mean anything.

"Someone get me out of here!" the outraged sergeant was yelling in a very demanding voice. It sounded like she was using something to try and beat the door down. "That's a direct order!"

Felix had a crooked grin on his face, thinking to himself that the memory wash hadn't done much to ease her temper. She was still his tough dynamite gal, even if she didn't know it.

"Hang on, Tammy," he said quietly to himself, not wanting to get her riled up anymore than she already was. "Soon as you're more...well _yourself._..I'll fix the door and get you out."

* * *

The door to the top level swooshed open and the intimidating form of the General darkened the door way. He couldn't see Ralph crouched down, rather uncomfortably mind you, behind the large platform area giving the thumbs-up signal. Turbo stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly, the engine of the escape pod humming loudly.

"Looking for _me,_ twinkle toes?!" he taunted loudly, jutting _two_ flips of the bird for added emphasis.

Hologram's eyes flashed red, murder the only thing on his mind, and he wisely ran the perimeter of the room to avoid crushing the eggs. Turbo slammed his door shut to prevent the crazed man from entering the cockpit and started getting ready for take-off. It was actually rather easy. The voice commands told the driver almost everything he/she had to do. Turbo felt the whole shuttle shake when the General madly leaped onto it just in time for them to take off.

The wind stung his face like a thousand tiny knives as the General tried to crawl along the top of the pod. Turbo was having quite a lovely time in his new toy, surprised it had been so easy. He still preferred a car of course, but hey this was pretty fun! Much more fun than sharing a ride on that "rocket-board" with Felix back hours ago. How long had it been anyway? He wasn't sure and he didn't care because hopefully this nightmare would end soon.

He had just started lowering and directing the aircraft towards the portal entrance when the sound of beating glass made him look up. The snarling face of the General was enough to make him jump in the over-sized seat he was in and he silently prayed that the glass was shatterproof enough to keep the lunatic out of the cockpit.

"I am going to kill you!" was the muffled shout he heard.

"Get some new material," Turbo muttered to himself as he zipped along the tunnel at high speed, the General hanging on for his life.

If he hadn't been so hell-bent on revenge, he might would have appreciated his first time outside of his game, or heck even outside the tower itself. The ship zoomed out into the Station, Turbo making sure to steer it clear of the walls. He grinned when he saw the _Brave Firefighters _sign, figured that was good a place as any to get the big buffoon killed and aimed right for it.

He thought he was home free until-

CRASH!

-the unmistakable sound of shattered glass reached his ears and he looked up just in time to see Hologram reach his long arm in the cockpit and try to grab him. In his panic, he let go of the steering wheel to duck down beneath the seat, causing the whole pod to slam itself down into the floor of the portal. It hissed sparks and the screeching sound was deafening, the General letting out a scream of pain as he did so because he could not very well release his hands from the pod to put them against his ears. Turbo managed to squeeze his finger in between his head and helmet to press his own ears, not that it did much to dull the sound but it was better than nothing.

At long last they screeched to a halt in the game itself. Turbo wasted no time throwing the door open and bolted, his mind racing on what to do next. He brightened up when he saw his motorcycle a short distance away, still parked where he had left it earlier. He looked back over his shoulder and saw Hologram attempting to slide off the side of the shuttle, which was now partly on fire, but he clumsily fell onto his side with a groan. This bought Turbo enough time to run over to his bike, thankfully still having the keys in it, and he hurriedly tried to get the engine to turnover.

"TURBOOOOOO!"

He looked behind him again when he heard his name bellowed out and much to his horror the General had already picked himself up and was making a beeline right for him. His eyes widened and he started beating the machine into submission.

"Come on, don't fail me now, come _on_!"

Turbo finally heard the bike roar itself to life and took off, leaving the General with his arm just out of reach of grabbing him.

* * *

Vanellope finally swam her way to where Turbo said the Memory Box would be. An odd sort of feeling washed over her when she saw it, realizing that this was the same type of contraption that he used to lock up her and her fellow _Sugar Rush_-ians' memories in. To think, all it took was a gold chest and some know-how on the basics of coding to make the first fifteen years of her life a complete and utter lie, stripping her of her title and her livelihood.

She did as she was told she needed to do, positioning herself in front of the chest. She concentrated on glitching her hands and _only _her hands or else she would glitch herself out of the rope she was tied to and go floating off into oblivion. The chest glowed brightly under her touch and she had to squint her eyes shut as dazzling blue streams of light burst out of the chest and-

* * *

~_ZzPhdkspdZZzzsapIsssZ~_

Calhoun quit beating on the door and grabbed her head as a bizarre static-like buzz ripped through her mind. She stumbled back a few paces, her breathing nothing more than hisses through clenched teeth as the shock subsided. Blinking she darted her eyes about the room, realizing where she was at but had no clue why she was there.

"What in Sam Hill?" she muttered, rubbing her eyes. "How'd I get _here_?"

Her memories of the day were extremely fuzzy and she tried to exit the room but found that the door would not open for her. The motion sensor must have been deactivated somehow, she reasoned. Great.

She knocked on the door like a normal person and not a deranged one, having a feeling that it was useless to do so because no one was even allowed back in this hallway. She never even came back here _herself_.

"Hello?" she called out, hoping that someone would happen to be out there. "Anyone out there?"

* * *

Felix grinned widely when he heard Tamora speaking in a more normal voice. He didn't want to get his hopes up too soon though, just in case, but still the pounding in his heart was not to go unnoticed.

"Tammy?" he called back to her. "Tammy, is that you?"

"Felix?" was the response, albeit a confused one. "What are you doing back here? What's going on?"

Tears flooded the handyman's eyes and he quickly fixed the door to allow her to come through. As soon as he saw her, he leaped up to her face and pulled her to him for a good long kiss. She was still unsure as what was going on but she kissed him back, putting her hands behind him to help stabilize him as he was practically hanging off of her. When he pulled back, she noticed he'd been crying.

"I'm so glad you're back, Tammy!" he said through his tears, grabbing her head again to give her another quick kiss.

Calhoun blinked hard at him. "Not that I'm complaining about the greeting, but...did I go somewhere?"

Vanellope had arrived back at the main hallway and glitched herself out of the rope she was tied to. She heard what Calhoun said and smacked her forehead. "Oh _brother_, you went on a trip to _Crazy_ville!"

* * *

Turbo turned too sharp around a corner and ended up crashing into a bush. He growled in his aggravation, kicking the bike off him. The sound of Hologram running in the distance was all to evident to him and he began to panic, thinking he was going to get caught. That was when out of the corner of his eye came none other than the little wheeled computer that lived in the game, the same one that he had met earlier. An idea struck him and he leaped to tackle the unsuspecting robot.

It whirred angrily, trying to push and punch the seemingly crazed racer off of it. Turbo grabbed its mechanical arms and forced them down.

"Calm down, I need your help!" he hissed, trying to keep quiet as he made the machine roll with him to the other side of a building they were next to. "How do you start a fire in here?"

The robot's screen flashed different colors as if it was shocked at such a question. It beeped angrily and Turbo tapped its screen to get it to concentrate.

"I'm not going to burn the whole game down!" he reassured it, suddenly feeling stupid that he was starting to understand robot-speak. "There's this creep trying to commandeer the arcade and if we don't kill him, he's going to turn this whole world upside down! So are you going to help me or not!"

The device clucked as if it ran the story through its mind. Turbo thought he was going to wind up going homicidal on something that was made of wires, screws, and various other non-human materials. Finally, the infernal computer shook its screen up and down as if it were nodding in agreement then took his sleeve and pulled him over to a nearby building.

* * *

Same as Calhoun, the other soldiers of Hero's Duty were also confused when they received their respective memories back. They would stand where they were, baffled as what was going on and not really remembering much of anything they had done that day. They murmured to whoever they happened to be with at the time, shaking their heads and simply made their way back to their game. Surge Protector observed everything from the middle of the station, his electrical current above his head sparking a bit when he realized that things were finally going back to normal.

Gamgee, the one that Rosie had knocked out, ended up waking up in a daze and wondered why he was on the floor. He got up and-

"Holy grandmas!" he shouted with wide eyes. He turned and ran out the door, running in the direction of his own private chamber. "I hope someone didn't knock me out to steal my secret porn stash! I have a gentlemanly reputation to uphold!"

Markowski, who was still shoved in a warehouse in _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_, woke up with a more pounding headache than the rest of them. He rubbed his head where he had been knocked out, wincing at the knot that was there.

"What the blazing-_hey_!" He woke up when he realized he was buck naked save for his boxers. "Oh man! Not again!"


	23. The Harder They Fall

_To "Kris": I posted it, it's called "Expert Driver" :)_

* * *

**That Little Game Called Life**

**Chapter Twenty Three**

Calhoun was sitting on the floor with her back against the wall, her knees propped up and her head rested on top of them. Felix had just given her a summarized account of what had happened to her and her men, how they had been told to round up the homeless characters for the Brig, and how he himself had been hunted down like a fugitive. She began to remember a few details as he talked and she had to say, she felt rather crummy. Vanellope was glitch-running in the other hallway and sliding across the floor to see how far she could go, waiting for the adults to finish their alone time.

The sergeant grabbed Felix into a hug after she let all the information settle in and he patted her comfortingly on the back.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, unable to believe that she could do such a thing to _anyone_ much less her own husband.

Felix pulled back and held her face in his hands, a solemn look in his eyes. "You have nothing to be sorry about," he stated decisively. "It wasn't _you_ that did those things. You were brainwashed and told a big whopper of a lie."

She nodded as if she understood but her eyes were still sad.

"I can't believe I thought Brad was still alive," she muttered. "That must have hurt you bad."

Felix frowned and gave her another hug around her neck. "It did but I knew you didn't know any different. It was like you were on extreme default setting."

She smiled softly, glad that he was being this understanding of the situation. She didn't know what she would do if the roles had been reversed and _he_ had been the one to forget about _her_. Calhoun put her arms around him and stood up, holding him up in her arms. She got a dark look in her eyes.

"When I find that buggy yellow-eyed pipsqueak, he's going to wish he'd stayed dead in that volcano."

Felix laughed nervously, as he always did when she got into one of these moods. "Now, Tammy, let's not be hasty. He _is_ trying to turn over a new leaf."

"He turned over the wrong one coming into _my_ game," she replied gruffly, tossing her bangs out of her face.

He started messing with the cuffs of one sleeve out of anxiety. "Yes, well...I say everyone deserves a second chance?" He ended it in the form of an unsure question, an exaggerated grin on his face as he looked at her.

Calhoun cut him a sideways look that said she wasn't thrilled that her husband had befriended the person that had started this whole mess in the first place. Then again, Felix always looked so darn adorable when he was trying to persuade her to see things his way, and she reluctantly felt herself give in.

Just a little bit anyway.

They entered the main hallway and Calhoun had to watch to make sure she didn't get run over by Miss President.

"Fine, but if he steps one foot out of line..." She used her pointer finger to make a slicing motion across to throat to signal "sudden death".

Felix gulped but kept up the big smile. "I-I'm sure he wouldn't argue with that."

His eyes popped wide and he suddenly remembered that Turbo was out there somewhere with the General. "Lands sake!" he exclaimed, hopping off his wife.

"I'll be right ba-aack!" he promised as he ran at his physics-defying speed out of the tower.

Vanellope teleported herself to Calhoun's side. "I wonder which of us would win in a foot race?"

She hopped up unexpectedly around Calhoun's middle and squeezed her. "I'm glad you're not trying to kill us anymore!"

The sergeant smiled wistfully and patted her on the head. "Me and you both, cavity queen."

* * *

General Hologram found where Turbo had crashed his bike. He jogged to it and threw it effortlessly to the side onto the grass, beating the bush thinking that the racer was hiding in it. This wild goose chase was only adding to his rage, so much so that a few veins were starting to pop out of his head. He also found that all this physical activity was making him tired and achy, something he had never experienced while still a hologram.

"Where are you hiding?" he growled under his breath as his eyes took in his surroundings. He was of course very unfamiliar with this place, not even sure where he was, and that gave him the unwanted feeling of being helpless.

As if in response to his question, Hologram noticed a small device that appeared to be an older model of the computer they had in _Hero's Duty_ that served as the player's "eyes" during gameplay. He smiled almost happily when he saw it (his happy smile was as creepy as his evil smile) and he strode over to where it was located.

"You there!" he barked at it as he approached. He straightened his suit up and tried to make himself look presentable. "Perhaps you can be of some assistance. I am General Hologram of _Hero's Duty_. I am on the trail of a criminal who has unfortunately escaped into your game. I was wondering if perhaps you had seen him."

He proceeded to give it a brief description of Turbo. The device chirped as it processed the data given to it and then clicked a few times before pointing one of its arms out towards what looked like large library. Hologram sneered evilly, saluted the computer for its help, and stalked off towards the building, cracking his knuckles as he went.

* * *

Ralph had finally managed to get out of the tower. There was no way he was climbing back down, that took more effort, so he used the elevator system again. Somehow, going ninety-nine stories in an elevator was remarkably slow. Once he exited the building, taking a few wrong turns on the first floor, he ran like the wind...or tried to anyway...out across the open terrain. He could only assume that Vanellope had glitched the memories of the soldiers back at this point, since it shouldn't have taken very long to do. Instead of running down the length of the tunnel, he opted to use the train this time and nearly ripped the manual controls apart trying to get it to move forward. He didn't know where he was going to go when he got to the Station but hopefully Hologram hadn't done too much damage out there so far.

If he had just waited about fifteen minutes, Felix would have joined him for the ride. He noticed that the train was gone so he kept on going in the direction of the Station, not sure where he was going to go when he got there either.

* * *

Hologram stepped onto the porch of the dark building, being closed for the night due to the Firefighters' Ball taking place. He was at first perplexed when the door did not open for him like the ones in his own game, then he finally figured out that this was an old-fashioned type of door. He grabbed the handle and twisted it to open. The musty smell of books and clean carpet mixed together suddenly filled his nostrils and he sneezed at it. The place was deadly quiet, almost too quiet. His eyes adjusted to the darkness and he crept forward carefully, his footsteps not making much noise when pressed against the carpet. He bumped into a desk by accident and cursed, feeling his way around it to keep going.

He made his way past the lobby part and on to where the cases of books were located, peeking behind each of them in hopes that his quarry was behind them. The further he got, the more anxious he got and that did not sit well with him. He finally located a staircase in the back and ascended it, being extra careful to watch his step. Newspapers, encyclopedias, typewriters, that sort of thing were located up here. Some smaller rooms where people could have a quiet place to study or read in private were located further ahead on the far wall.

"Looking for me?"

Hologram jumped when he heard Turbo's voice, feeling his heart race and putting a hand over it instinctively to try and calm it down, even though something told him that was a futile act. He spun around in place, not wanting to knock into anything.

"Show yourself!" he demanded, trying to pinpoint where the voice came from.

He heard a dark chuckle coming from somewhere upstairs where he was but he wasn't sure _exactly _where. The acoustics in the room were perfect for making it sound like anyone could be anywhere. He was getting nervous, not liking the idea of not seeing someone that could see _him_.

"And let you treat me to another one of your massages? Don't think so."

Hologram thought the voice was coming from somewhere farther back so he decided to slowly creep his way in that direction.

"I do not know why you gave me a false code," the General began to converse. He stubbed his toe on a chair and cursed under his breath again, resisting the urge to throw the thing out of his way. "Frankly, I am surprised that you have changed your outlook on this plan I shared with you. As you said earlier, it is a glorified version of what you did to _Sugar Rush_. Why _did_ you change your mind? You are no better than myself. We are cut from the same cloth, you and I. Survivalists, out for ourselves."

If Hologram had been looking off to the far left, he would have noticed the glowing pair of yellow eyes keeping a close watch on his every move.

"I was happy simply being in control of _one_ game," Turbo replied to him. "As long as I could race and be loved by everyone, I was perfectly fine."

"But you were _not_ happy, were you? The life you led in _Sugar Rush_ was no match for your old one. It was all a ruse, a farce. No one loved _you_. You were only fooling yourself into being happy because it was the only way to keep your mind off all the bitter sadness you really felt."

Turbo's eyes flashed at the analysis, knowing it to be true. He cast his eyes down towards the floor, remembering how he had to nearly brainwash _himself_ into a cheerful pun-throwing idiot just to keep the tears from shedding every night.

_At least that idiot was happy. That is, if he'd been a real person and not just an avatar I made up. He was the happiest guy I ever knew and he didn't even exist._

The General carefully maneuvered his way through the tables of typewriters as he spoke. _"_You could have joined me and helped rule my new world," the General lied. "You could have finally had everything you ever wanted that you have not had since your old life."

There was a pause. Hologram made his way towards one of the private study rooms, feeling around for the door handle.

"I _had_ everything I ever wanted," Turbo finally replied, darkness sweeping over him again as he remembered. "And I threw it all away in a moment of blind hatred and pride. I can never have what I had back."

General Hologram swung the door open to see...nothing.

Turbo got to his feet, his hand poised on a button that he was ready to press, his eyes narrowed in an eerie glare.

"Just like _you_ can never have _you__rs_ back!"

As soon as he slammed the button, a raging fiery inferno leaped up into existence, lighting the whole building up in an orange glow. Hologram's eyes widened as he realized he had walked right into a trap. The piercing rings of the fire alarm filled the air, furthering his panic mode. Attempting to turn around to escape, he was met with-

THWONK!

Turbo had leaped up onto a table, helmet in hand, and swung it hard against Hologram's face which knocked him backwards a few steps into the now open room filled with fire. Turbo jammed his helmet back on, kicked the door shut and wasted no time propping the table up against the door to prevent him from escaping.

"_Enjoy your ride to Game Over, you bastard!_"

General Hologram was engulfed in the flames almost immediately, the sheering pain licking at his very code as he began to flicker haphazardly. The pain...he had never known such could exist. The screams he made were drowned out by the roaring of the fire around him. He tried to escape but found something to be blocking the door. His code began to leave him bit by bit as he became more and more charred. His uniform was already blackening and he could feel it sticking to him like glue from the inside. His new body felt to be melting as the burns became more severe.

_Dying._ This is how it felt to die. Painful, frightening, _insulting_.

That was the last thing he thought before he ceased to exist. The madness of General Hologram had finally ended.

* * *

Turbo spun around after yelling out his bone-chilling farewell and began to make the mad dash out of the building before it all came down on top of him. He hadn't realized that the entire establishment would ignite to _this_ degree, having expecting maybe little fires every few paces but _this_...this was a library and all the books and paper lying around served as food for the hungry flames. It was like there had been a bonfire here first and then someone threw a library in it instead of the other way around.

If it wasn't the heat of the fire, it was the suffocating smoke that only added to his misery. He got too close to one patch of fire and he felt his arm singe, hissing through his teeth as he patted the flame off of his sleeve. His hand smarted as a result but he found he couldn't even drudge up any tears due to his eyes being so dry.

_Lava. Volcano. FIRE._

Turbo shook himself to keep from remembering the torturous pain he had felt when he died in the volcano. The ceiling above the area he had just walked past crashed down onto the floor, just missing him by about a foot. He felt a few sparks hit his legs and he cried out, grabbing his feet to try to put out any flame that might rise up and he nearly tripped going down the stairs.

_The volcano had erupted into a towering molten shower made of a deadly mix of mentos and boiling diet cola. The Cy-Bugs' programming was attracted to the beacon that it seemed to represent and their eyes turned blue in response. What was going on? Why were they leaving?  
_

_"Why are you going into the-" he began, then he felt the Cy-Bug part of him react to the light as well, obediently moving towards it. "Liiiiight?"_

The racer coughed hard, holding an arm in front of his face to try and keep the growing smoke from smothering him but it seemed impossible. He didn't even seem to notice that he had made it down the stairs in one piece until he dared open his eyes. The fire was spread all over the first floor just as much as it had been on the second. He could see the door from here, illuminated by the glow of the fire. He felt another spark fly on him and he winced, forcing himself to move forward.

_By God, he was being forced into the lava! He flailed his arms, trying to make his true self take control of this new body he was trapped in. The Cy-Bug he was embedded within refused to acknowledge. Fear, it was a fear he had never known before.  
_

_"NO!" "YES!" "NO!" "YES!"  
_

_It was an ongoing battle that he would not win. The bug's programming was insistent. He was going to kill himself unwillingly.  
_

"DAMN IT!" Turbo yelled at himself to snap him out of his pain-induced memory. "Don't die _now_, dumbass!"

He attempted to try and run out, dodging a few patches of fire along the way but he tripped (_clumsy oaf!)_ on a wrinkle in the carpet. He coughed some more and his nerves started when he heard the sound of cracking above his head. He rolled onto his back, his whole body in severe agony, and he looked up with terrified eyes as the ceiling above him began to move. The wood cracked some more, raining embers onto him.

_The glaring light of the lava nearly blinded him as his host flew closer to it. He could feel the heat now, it was ungodly how it burned him without even having to touch it. He felt his code flicker as he tried hopeless to fight back, as he watched his life pass before his eyes._

_"Go into the-"_

_"NO, NO, I CAN'T DIE! Please, I don't want to die!" He wanted to scream but could not get the words out.  
_

He tried to drag himself backwards towards the door but he was so...exhausted. The pain was eating at him and the coughing was getting worse. He raised his weary eyes up and saw the ceiling begin to cave in right before he closed his eyes again. _Sorry, pretty girl, I almost made it, _he thought despairingly. _I tried._

_"Goooo innntooo the liiiiiIIIIIIGGGHHHH-"_

* * *

_It's quite a drop from the top, so how you feeling down there? It's a cold, cruel, harsh reality. Caught, stuck, here with your enemies. (Shinedown)  
_

**_ONE. MORE. CHAPTER.  
_**


	24. Moving On

**That Little Game Called Life**

**Chapter Twenty Four**

_By the time the fire department arrived, there was no one there to save. The fire was put out but the bodies left inside had disintegrated into nothing. They never even knew anyone was in there. There wasn't even anything that Felix could have fixed. _

_When she was told the news, at first Rosie was despondant, a broken mess of a soul. It was worse this time than it had been the first time he had left her, because this time she had foolishly allowed herself to hope. After about an hour of crying in a heap on the floor with Vanellope combing her hair, she became eerily calm. She was fine, she'd be okay. After all, she'd lived through something like this before. _

_Everyone believed her until it was too late. She had stayed on the couch at Felix's place while he and Calhoun slept in the bedroom. She'd silently stolen Calhoun's handgun from her holster and locked herself in the bathroom. It wasn't alcohol on her last breath, it was his name. The couple had rushed in as soon as they heard the gun go off, but by the time Calhoun had kicked the door down it was too late. Her code had already started to float away into the air, too late to be saved...and then she was gone._

_At least...that's what WOULD have happened..._

_For you see, Fate had rolled it's dice once more in that little game called Life; it's outcome was that the game was not yet over for certain players._

* * *

Turbo was fully prepared be crushed to death by a flame-riddled pile of debris; he was _not_ prepared to feel something grab him under his arms and pull him across the carpet just seconds before the ceiling collapsed in the very spot he had been lying in. It was disorienting at the least to feel the fresh air outside, his lungs happily receiving smoke-free oxygen as he continued getting dragged out onto the grassy lawn. He was still in pain but took some comfort knowing that he wasn't going to be put through anymore.

He coughed harshly as he struggled to breathe and the burns on his hands and face gladly welcomed the feel of the cool grass against them. He cried out in shock when the sudden rush of cold water hit him, giving him instant yet only temporary relief all over. The sound of frantic beeping drew his attention upward and he peered up through red eyes. The computer-robot was chirping at him worriedly and the word "SAFE" appeared on its screen. Turbo realized for the first time that the robot had a small fire hose and water tank installed to its back. He coughed again and tried to sit up, grimacing as he did so.

"You...you pulled me out?" he asked in a raspy voice, his throat burning due to the smoke he inhaled.

The computer nodded its screen. _Yes_. The word "HERO" flashed this time.

Turbo may have been hurting but he still felt good enough to try and roll his eyes. "Yeah, I know, you're a hero," he commented, remembering that even first-person-shooter devices had an ego that needed stroking.

The robot shook its screen back and forth. _No._ It flashed the word "HERO" again and then pointed one of its mechanical fingers at the racer.

"Oh, you mean _me_?" Turbo asked, weakly pointing to himself in shock. "You think _I'm _a hero?"

_Yes. _

Turbo closed his eyes and shook his head. "No, I'm not." He coughed again. "I was just cleaning up a mess I made. Heroes don't _make_ messes."

The sound of sirens filled the air, the firefighters having heard the alarms going off during their party. It took all of ten seconds for them to rush out and start putting the fire out of the library. About the same time, Ralph came up who had followed behind the trucks. Surge Protector had told him where the escape pod had crashed into and he had run in immediately.

"Sweet mortar," he gasped as he took a look at Turbo who was blistered and charred in more than one place. "You really know how to get into a jam, don't you?"

"Hello to you too," Turbo greeted dryly, both literally and figuratively. "No offense, but I'd rather see your protagonist right about now."

"I don't know where he is," Ralph admitted helplessly, trying not to be too offended.

Turbo managed to crack a smile through the pain. "If my plan with the Memory Chest worked, he's probably too busy schmoozing with the wife to care about little ol' me."

Ralph perked his ears up when he heard a familiar series of "boings" coming up from behind and then smiled knowingly. "I wouldn't put a bet on that one just yet."

"I'm here!" Felix announced himself, panting a bit from all the running and hopping he had to do. He shrank back when he saw the burns on his friend. "I hope you getting hurt all the time doesn't become commonplace," he commented as he pulled his hammer out to fix him with.

"Don't jinx me, Fix-It," Turbo chided lightly, able to stand up now that he was perfectly fine. He patted the little computer on the head. "Thanks, pal."

The computer whirred happily before turning to go help its human buddies put out the rest of the fire.

"Well, what now?" Felix asked.

"Yeah, you still have to program someone to take General Hologram's place," Ralph reminded the racer.

Turbo waved a hand dismissively. "Pfft! That won't take ten minutes," he let himself brag. "I would like to see my girlfriend before I do anything else, if that's okay with you two."

Felix and Ralph exchanged glances and they both gave off similar sheepish grins.

"Yeah, we kinda had to _persuade_ her to, uh, get locked up," Ralph told him.

Turbo grinned at that. "Oh, I'm sure she _loved_ that. She can be pretty stubborn."

"Make sure you tell her you don't have any scratches on you," Felix told him quietly. "She might want my head served on a silver platter otherwise."

* * *

Chief was kicked back in his chair with his head thrown back and arms folded across his chest, snoring mildly as he slept. Rosie had this bored look on her face, her arms draped outside the bars lazily and her chin resting on the lock part. She had spent the first ten minutes in her cell in a huff, not amused at being forced into this confined area. Then she tried to do a few of her old cheers to try and get the Chief to crack a smile (the man was like a _rock_)..._then_ she tried doing yoga, but she was too worried to concentrate on _not_ concentrating so she abandoned that.

"If I'd known you were going to fall asleep, I'd have asked for the paper," she said to the Chief who of course could not respond as he was off in La-La Land.

She sighed and stretched her hands out to check her nails.

"Sorry, honey, I don't have enough money to pay the bail."

Her eyes snapped open wide and a big smile spread when she heard Turbo's voice and she turned her head to see him.

"Oh my God, you're okay!" Rosie responded happily, wagging her fingers some as if to get him to come over.

"Sure, I'm okay," he told her, taking her hands and kissing her little fingertips. "Don't see any scratches on me, do ya?"

Her face fell. "Felix told you to say that," she accused him bluntly.

He figured it'd be best that she not know he came close to being Game Over a couple times since he'd seen her.

"I think you might have scared him," he grinned at her.

She paused for a second. "I might have made a few threats when he and Ralph ganged up to throw me in here," she slowly admitted.

Turbo had to laugh at that and reached a hand through the bar to hold her face, thinking that he came close to not seeing her again.

"I love you, my darlin'."

"I love you too, champ," she smiled at him. "Now get me outta here."

"Oh right, it is kinda hard to be sweet on you like this."

Rosie pointed a finger to the nail on the wall above Chief's head. "There's the keys." She smirked at him. "Hope you can get them down okay since I can't obviously help you this time."

He grinned back at her before pulling his hand so he could walk over there. "Glad to see doing time hasn't put a damper on your smart-assedness."

He tapped Chief on the hand a few times to make him wake up. The large mustachioed man yawned widely and cracked his eyes open just enough to see Turbo point up above his. The Chief wordlessly reached up with little effort, handing the keys to him, then settled back down to finish the rest of his nap.

"That's cheating," Rosie told him as he came back over to her.

"_No_, it's called utilizing your resources," he corrected her as he unlocked the door.

He barely got it cracked open when she nearly flew on top of him in a hug, kissed him hard on the mouth, then went back to squeezing the life out of him. He just smiled and hugged her back, both arms wrapped around her waist.

"So, they ganged up on you huh?" he kidded after a moment, rubbing her back gently.

"They _did_!" she insisted, lowering her eyes at the memory. "Ralph threw me in and then Felix locked the door behind me."

Turbo smiled slyly. "Shame on _them._ So much for them coming to the wedding, huh?"

She didn't catch what he said at first.

"That's right," she said a bit haughtily. "They're not-"

Rosie stopped a blinked a few times, a warm feeling coming over her heart though she was still in total shock. She pulled back and stared at him giving her a look of complete adoration.

"W-wedding?" she repeated softly with a small smile, her eyes getting wet.

"You want to?" Turbo gently asked her. "I mean, I have no idea where we're gonna live but-"

She cut him off with a kiss, tears running down her face.

"I'll take that as a yes," he assumed with a chuckle once she pulled back, swiping a thumb under her eyes to wipe the tears off.

Rosie laughed a little bit through her crying. "Yes, that-that's a y-yes."

* * *

General Lockload was born about an hour later. Turbo had taken one of the random "saluting soldiers" that would accompany General Hologram in awarding the player and jammed him into the large empty space where the evil man's code had originally been. To make him look different from the rest of them, he aged him up a good bit, giving him big eyebrows and squinty grandpa eyes. He looked like a friendly enough guy. Turbo managed to find a soundbox that had programmed sayings in it so he attached what used to belong to Hologram to Lockload so that he would say basically the same message at the end of the game.

Turbo went over to the combination lock box, closed his eyes and randomly set it to something so it wouldn't be easy to break into the Code Room again. Maybe nothing like this would ever happen again. He floated out and landed just inside the door frame and took one last look at the glimmering blue codes shining brightly within the dark cyberspace, sighed to himself, and closed the door for the final time.

And thus his retirement from code hacking had begun.

* * *

Turbo sat in a chair, a large forced smile on his face, looking up at the four creatures that had surrounded him and were currently giving him hard stares almost as if they were trying to read into his soul. He cleared his throat hesitantly, thinking that any sudden movement out of him would make one of them suddenly go into attack mode on him. Finally one of them spoke.

"You make her cry, and I will personally hunt you down," Raphael warned him in a low voice, his arms crossed.

Gulping, Turbo twiddled his fingers in his lap. "Y-you have my...my word."

The other three turtles backed off and punched him in the shoulder as they left the room, a little too hard in his opinion. Raphael hung back a second, flipped his fist backward to point two fingers at his eyes and then directed one forward at Turbo. _I'm watching you_, is what that meant. Turbo kept up the grin until they were all gone and then let out an enormous sigh of relief and relaxed back in the chair.

"Damn, I can't imagine what they'd be like if they left their game all the time," he said to himself as he wiped his head. "They'd scare everybody in the whole arcade!"

It had certainly been a shock to everyone when the infamous ninja turtles stepped foot into the Grand Central Station. Some people even fainted from shock. The turtles of course were just as culture-shocked about the world outside their game as well, but they seemed to taking it okay.

A knock on the door made him jump a little. He was relieved to see Felix poke his head in with that big goofy smile of his.

"So, how'd it go?" he asked with enthusiasm. They were in one of the rooms at the church in Hero's Duty, which was of course the only place in the arcade people could have a proper wedding at.

"Let's just say I'm not going to do anything to upset beefed-up reptiles that carry big pointy things."

Felix laughed, looking in the mirror to try and fix his bow tie. Turbo sighed and hopped up out of the chair.

"You're doing it wrong, turn around," he told him, rapidly doing the bow tie himself.

Felix gave him an quizzical look.

"I had to do this all the time when I was 'king'," Turbo explained with a dismissive shrug, throwing in air quotes when he said the last word. "Where'd you go anyway?"

The handyman coughed politely to the side. "Oh, I had to uh...alter the dress."

"What?"

"Well, Tammy's dress was too big for Rosie obviously, so I had to uh..." he started getting embarrassed. "_Fix_ it while she tried to hold it up on her."

Turbo just glared at him.

"I didn't see anything I swear!" Felix assured him with a nervous smile.

The racer just sighed and rolled his eyes before plopping back down in the chair.

"You're gonna wrinkle the tux if you keep doing that," Felix told him. "What's wrong with you, I thought you'd be bouncing around all over the place."

"I dunno," Turbo said quietly, picking a piece of lint of his pants. "I'm just worried is all."

"Worried? About what?"

Turbo sat up a little straighter and looked Felix in the eyes. "I don't even have place for us to live! How the hell am I supposed to take care of her?" He settled back in the chair sadly. I'm some homeless, jobless bum."

Felix started laughing as if that was the dumbest thing to be worried about. "Don't be silly, you can come live with _me_."

"Really?" Turbo asked skeptically. "Won't that be a little...crowded?"

"Well, not live with me in the penthouse of course," Felix clarified, though it would be pretty interesting to hear what Calhoun had to say about _that_. "I mean, I suppose you'll have to until we get a house built in East Niceland. We have more than enough bricks to make one. Ralph and I won't mind."

Turbo smiled at him in appreciation. "Gee, thanks, that's real turbo-tastic of ya."

"You're most welcome. You guys can throw the after-wedding bash at my place if you want," he offered on a whim. "There's plenty of room."

The racer's eyes brightened at the mention of a party. "You got a bar?"

"Well, Gene mixes martinis."

He got a big smile on his face hearing that. "I should have come to your place _years_ ago if I'd known that!"

Turbo hopped up and put one hand on each of Felix's shoulders to squeeze, which was pretty much the closest thing to a hug the handyman was going to get out of him.

"Thanks again, buddy."

Felix smiled warmly at him. "You're welcome."

* * *

Vanellope tugged at her dress's collar as she stood in her spot as maid of honor once again. She hated wearing the pink frilly piece of junk. The turtles were sitting in the bride's section: Leonardo looked perfectly at home in his bow tie, looking ahead with a pleasant smile; Michelangelo was bopping his head silently to some music he heard in his head; Raphael looked pretty pissed off at having to wear the stupid tie and was pulling it from his neck; Donatello was giving him an odd look and trying to whisper for him to quit that.

The cowboy-bikers from the Harley Davidson game filled up half of the groom's side. Summer and Raven sat with their two Street Fighter boyfriends, both of them whispering amongst themselves about why the heck _they_ hadn't been proposed to yet. Ralph and Calhoun sat together on the front bench on the bride's side, since Calhoun was getting aggravated at the wolf whistles from the bikers. Master Splinter obviously was the one to walk the bride down the aisle.

The rings came from Sonic, who had started to wonder if he should just open a wedding ring shop if everyone was going to keep asking him for them. Felix had to fit them according to size of course, same as he did when he and Calhoun got married. The cake was coming from _Sugar Rush_ (where else?), special made to order by Candle Head who always loved to make a cake for any occasion. It was half chocolate (for him) and half strawberry (for her), with little chocolate-covered strawberries included on the decor and red icing roses.

It was a lovely wedding, one that neither party thought would ever happen in a million years given all the events their respective lives put them through. Rosie looked quite lovely in her borrowed gown, her hair up in a fancy style. She grinned like something was funny and she shot a hand real quick to try and fix Turbo's hair a little better, wishing she'd thought to bring a little gel with her to get it to stay in its short messy style. That prompted a laugh from the audience and the racer turned a little red, but he still had this lovesick look on his face regardless.

When it came time for the kiss, Rosie hopped up a little bit so he'd have to catch her, her feet dangling a couple inches off the ground, and they shared their first kiss as a married couple. It shouldn't have been any different than any other kiss they'd had but this one had something special in it, almost like it was sprinkled with all the magic in the world. Hopefully the magic would continue on with them for their rest of their pixelated lives, until the arcade itself became unplugged from existence.

* * *

**Epilogue**

_After-Wedding Bash_

"If you need a vase to put that bouquet you caught in, feel free to borrow one," Felix was chuckling as he sipped his soda at one of the guest tables with Ralph.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," the wrecker shrugged off with some embarrassment, not meeting Felix's eyes. "Vanellope's _never_ going to shut up about that."

"Too bad she couldn't come to the party. She was plumb tuckered out, I reckon."

"Oh yeah, she fell asleep right before we came here. I had to carry her majesty home."

The doorbell rang and Felix held up a finger to signal he'd be right back. He hopped over to the door and was a little surprised to see Officer Bob and a couple of his buddies there. The handyman had a feeling something non-party related was going on so he closed the door to talk privately.

"Evening, gentlemen. Bob, is there a problem?"

Bob had a deep scowl on his face, his arms positioned on either side of his gunbelt. "Felix, I've heard rumors that you're letting that game-jumping _murderer _live here in Niceland. That true?"

Felix didn't like his tone and a knot formed in his stomach. "Now, Bob, it's _my _game," he reminded him, treading carefully with his words. "I can decide who can live here or not. If I say it's okay, then it's okay."

"Well, it's not _okay_ with _us_," the police officer snapped, jabbing a thumb at himself and his two lackeys. "We're outta here, we ain't sharing a game with someone that might go psycho and kill us in our sleep."

They turned to head back to their house, leaving Felix standing at his front door with a rather cross expression on his face, and that didn't happen very often. He blew out his breath forcefully and rubbed his face. He wasn't going to say anything to ruin the good night everyone was happening, least of all Turbo's. No telling how he'd react to _that_.

He went back inside and saw Ralph had been joined by Rosie, who had presented him with a sheet of paper that Ralph was looking rather overwhelmed by.

"Now I know it's a lot," Rosie was saying to him when Felix came back. "But Champ doesn't want just a plain boring house. He wants it as close to these specifications as possible."

"He wants a _cathedral ceilings_?" Ralph's eyes nearly came out of his head. "And a _sauna_?"

Rosie twiddled her fingers and bit her lip. "I'm sure you guys can pull it off!" she finally said with an exaggerated grin, playfully punching Ralph's arm. "Thanks!"

She skipped off to see where Turbo wandered off to. Felix laughed at the stupefied look Ralph was wearing.

"What did you expect, he's _Turbo_," Felix reminded his work partner, taking the paper from his hands to read it himself. He took a sip of soda and then spewed it out in shock. "He wants a _finished den with a bar?"_

Meanwhile, an already intoxicated Turbo trying to make conversation with Calhoun at the bar. She looked more than ready to slap the guy away from her but she was doing her best to keep her cool. The sergeant was more than glad that she didn't have to worry about Felix getting drunk.

"I-I just...just wanted to say," he was slurring, waving a little bit in his stool. "That...that I'm suh-sorry...Missus Ix-Fit."

"It's Sergeant to you," she said bluntly, not looking at him.

"That's a fun-funny name," Turbo kinda laughed a little bit then stuck his empty martini glass out for Gene to refill with a huge grin on his face.

Gene was giving him one of his peeved looks but he wordlessly refilled the glass, thinking they'd be lucky if he dropped dead from alcohol overdose.

"Your hub-hubs-_husband_," the racer made himself spit out. "He's a...a nice guy."

"Yes, he is," Calhoun replied under her breath. She sighed before taking another sip of her drink. If her nice-guy husband was going to be insistent on being friends with this creep, she supposed she might as well get used to the idea fast.

Rosie saved her from having to be friendly just yet. She gave him an amused grin when she saw he was already drunk.

"Champ, dear, how many have you had?"

He laughed some more and held up three fingers, swaying in his seat. Rosie closed her eyes and shook her head, knowing that not to be true. She peeked over at Gene who held up ten fingers at her. Turbo tried to pull Rosie in for a hug and toppled out of his seat, which to him was the funniest thing in the world. Rosie had to help hold him up so he wouldn't end up on the floor.

"You're a pret-pretty girl," he told her between a bout of giggles. "You w-wanna stay the...the night?"

Rosie grinned at him crookedly. "You're not going to be much fun later tonight, are you?"

She started trying to walk him over to the bedroom that Felix lent them (he said he was going to stay at Tammy's place a couple nights), keeping one arm looped around his back to help him stay steady.

"I'm _always_ fun," he told her proudly, throwing one arm around her shoulders. "I'm T-Turbo, the grrrrreatest racer ev-ever."

"Boy, you really are drunk," Rosie muttered, hoping he didn't pass out on her at this rate.

"No-no, I'm not," he tried to insist.

"Oh really?" she asked him with a raised brow. "What's your catchphrase?"

He smiled the biggest he could muster up. "T-T-Tur...Turb...aaastic," he drew out. "Tur-_bastic_!"

She couldn't help but chuckle. "Not quite, you missed a few letters."

"Hang on, hang on, I'll...I'll get...get it." He tried very hard to concentrate, which was pretty humorous to watch. "T-Tur..._Turbo_...t-t-t-aaaastic."

He grinned triumphantly. "There, t-told you. Ye of fai-...little faith."

Rosie was more than glad they finally reached the bedroom door. She had a time opening it what with her husband leaning on her like he was but she managed. The room was pitch black so she had to leave the door open at first so she could toss Turbo on the bed, which only made him laugh harder and she switched the lamp on the nightstand on so she'd be able to see when she shut the door.

Turbo tried to sit up on the bed, his eyes all swimmy from drinking so heavily and he had this adorably goofy grin on his face.

"I kinda like you," he said without stuttering it out.

Rosie smiled sweetly. "I forgot how funny you are when you're like this," she said mostly to herself rather than to him.

She gently pushed him back down on the bed so he'd be on his back and he let a few giggles out. She scooted up so she could lay flat on him and pushed his helmet off so she could give him a scalp massage with her nails.

"I kinda like you too," she replied, looking at him with all the love in the world.

Turbo had his eyes closed, starting to go to sleep which was the intent behind the scalp rub. That was an old trick of hers for times like this that apparently still worked. He lazily put his arms around her.

"Hey, honey?" he asked slowly, keeping his eyes shut. "I..I did good today?"

"You did turbo-tastic today."

He gave her a lop-sided smile. "That's _my_ line."

"Well, you were having trouble saying it earlier so I thought I'd say it for you," she smirked at him even if he couldn't see it.

"Tur...bo...tas...tic," he said it extra slowly to prove he could say it correctly. "That's what _you_ are."

She felt her heart swell up. To think this morning when she woke up, it was just another day of dealing him being dead. Now here she was married to him. She gave him a quick little kiss, still raking her nails through his hair to get him to drift off. At last, she felt his breathing go down and he was asleep. Rosie slid off to the side of him, curled up in her usual snuggle position.

"You owe me big time when you wake up," she let him know as she closed her own eyes.

It was quiet for about a minute.

"You...you re..remem...ber that thing from..." he paused to think about it. "That thing from...that fire game?"

Rosie took it to be just him sleeping off the alcohol but she answered with a "yes" anyway.

"It said...it said I was a hero."

Okay, maybe it _wasn't _just sleep talk.

"You think...everyone will...like me?"

It almost broke her heart to hear it. She didn't know what to say.

Turbo kept talking even though she didn't respond. "You know...I'm pret-ty...popular." He was drifting off again. "Because I'm..._Turbo_. They won't...unplug..._my_ game."

Oh God. Rosie lifted her head to look at him with some concern.

"Everyone...loves a...winner."

He finally nodded back off to sleep, this time for good. Rosie frowned and sighed, running a hand down his face as he slept peacefully.

"For your sake, I hope so," she told him, though she had a feeling it wasn't going to be that way.

**To Be Continued...**

* * *

_Ahhhh I finally finished! Longest fic I ever wrote as far as word count goes! Talk about a labor of love! And in case you guys haven't figured it out, the big surprise is *drumroll*..._

_SEQUEL!  
_

_Okay, it's more like a followup than a true sequel. It'll be more like a hurt/comfort thing with the accompanying drama/angst that goes with it. The gist of it is basically Turbo trying to re-enter society but finds himself ostracized by practically everyone in the arcade. What follows is a lot of bad memories resurfacing, nightmares, depression, yadda yadda buncha other stuff and he starts slipping backward into that dark part of his mind. MIGHT have to rate it M at some point because of a...violent scene...but we'll see. Will start working on that this week and hopefully have something posted by next week.  
_

_Again thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, faved, followed, etc. Love you all, hope to hear from you guys again!  
_


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